The Long Road Home
by daydreamer4
Summary: COMPLETE. Sequel to And They Danced, plot points based on spoilers, but fictional as it unfolds. LL all the way.
1. Affirmation

Author's Note: All characters are owned by Amy Sherman-Palladino and the WB. Watch the Frog. Thanks for the feedback on the last story. I love me some Luke and Lorelai and I'm glad there are others who do as well! This story basically picks up where the last one finished.  
  
It was the morning after Liz's wedding and Lorelai was hoping to catch up on some sleep when she was removed from her peaceful slumber by the sound of her ringing cell phone. "Damn Beyonce," she thought as she mentally cursed herself for changing her ring tone to one of Destiny's Child's repetitive songs. She fumbled out of bed and sat up while reaching for the cell phone on her bedside table.  
  
"Hello?" she said groggily.  
  
"Hey Mom," Rory said all too chipper.  
  
"Rory?" Lorelai asked, still hazy from her abrupt wake up. "Why are calling so early?" she whined. "You're in college, don't all-night keggers make you sleepy?" She rolled onto her back and pulled the comforter back over her body.  
  
"Keggers are on Friday night at Yale. Saturday is bar night, which basically ends at 2 a.m.," Rory responded matter-of-factly. "Besides it's actually not that early and I had a frantic message from a crazy lady last night. If I remember correctly the woman in the message said something about dating Luke. Any ideas on who could have left a message like that for me?" Rory teased.  
  
"Didn't your mother teach you it's not nice to tease your elders?" Lorelai said sitting up on the bed.  
  
"Mom—Luke, details please," Rory demanded.  
  
"Oh hun, I don't even know where to start," Lorelai sighed. "You know I was going to his sister's wedding with him. Well he told me I looked beautiful, which was kind of weird because it's Luke and he doesn't say that kind of stuff. So then he was being all nice, not that he isn't normally, but it was kind of 'date' nice. He gave me his arm, got me drinks and get this—he asked me to dance!" Lorelai exclaimed.  
  
"Luke danced?" Rory repeated incredulously.  
  
"I know can you believe it? But that isn't the weirdest part. The weird part is that he was really good at it! It's like if Miss Patty retired tomorrow we could change the name to Luke's School of Dance."  
  
"Wow. That is pretty amazing," Rory replied. "But, I believe your message said something about dating?" Rory continued to prod knowing full well that when it came to Luke, Lorelai didn't give her feelings up easily. Coercion was usually the best way to get any details.  
  
"Well, so he walked me home and he said we should do it again sometime and I'm thinking we should go to a wedding again and he's thinking he should come over and make me dinner Wednesday night!"  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"I didn't really know what to say so I just said yes. He tricked me. He knows I can't turn down the offer of a free meal," Lorelai sighed. She got out of bed and started to pace the floor.  
  
"He didn't trick you, you said yes," Rory wisely replied. "But maybe he didn't mean it like a date."  
  
"Oh I'm pretty sure he meant it like a date. He kissed me goodnight," Lorelai said.  
  
"You kissed Luke!" Rory exclaimed. "I can't believe this."  
  
"Hun, it wasn't, I didn't kiss--," but Rory continued to talk and didn't hear a word of Lorelai's protests. "I can't believe you finally started to see what everyone has seen for years. I can't believe Luke got up enough courage to do something like that!" Rory finally finished.  
  
"Rory, he kissed me on the cheek and what are you talking about I finally see what everyone else has for years?" Lorelai asked her daughter. She was pacing more vigorously now. She knew full well what Rory was saying. The whole town, Miss Patty, Sookie, Rory, hell, even her mother, had told her Luke had feelings for her. For some reason she always filed that bit of information in the back of her head and never really paid it much attention because it was Luke. Luke her friend, Luke her coffee man, not Luke her boyfriend.  
  
"C'mon Mom, you know exactly what I'm talking about. He likes you and you like him. Luke has had a crush on you for years. I think I first noticed it when I was 14! I think it's great that you two are finally starting to admit what's been going on," Rory finished.  
  
"Rory, I didn't say I like Luke. I mean we had a good time. We always have good time. He's my friend Luke," Lorelai added emphasis to the word friend. "And nothing has been going on."  
  
"Mom, it's okay if you like Luke," Rory counseled. "At least now you two can move forward and be happy. And there has always been something going on with you and Luke. Why do you give each other such a hard time? Why does he always drop everything to help you? Why did you get so upset when you found out he was moving to Litchfield?"  
  
Lorelai thought about what Rory said. Could she be right? Could Lorelai have been in denial about this for so long? She and Luke always gave each other a hard time. She had to admit that she kind of looked forward to seeing him and giving him a hard time. And she had to admit she was very upset when she heard Luke say he was moving. The thought of him being so far away scared her.  
  
"Mom? Are you still there? You're not mad are you?" Rory asked tentatively.  
  
"No, I'm still here. I'm not mad," Lorelai responded to distracted by her own thoughts to even wonder how Rory knew she didn't want Luke to move to Litchfield with Nicole. "Hun, I have to go I slept way too late and I have tons of Dragonfly stuff to get done. Thanks for the talk though. I'll call you later okay?"  
  
"Okay, I'm sorry if I upset you," Rory said feeling guilty.  
  
"No sweetie I'm not upset, I just have to think, about a lot of stuff. I promise. I'll talk to you later."  
  
"Okay, have good day. Bye," Rory said and hung up the phone. Maybe her mother hadn't really admitted her feelings for Luke yet. But Rory had a feeling it would only be a matter of time before she did.  
  
***  
  
Lorelai hung up the phone and threw it in the middle of her bed. She glanced at the clock and couldn't believe how late she had slept. Once she had finally fallen asleep she slept like a rock, but it took her ages to stop her mind from turning the night's events over and over in her head. She had finally come to the realization shortly before she drifted to the land of the unconscious that Luke obviously had feelings for her. She just didn't know how she felt about him. She knew she counted on him and liked being with him, but she couldn't decide if she wanted to be with him in the way he wanted her. Hearing Rory lay it all out on the line made her wonder. Rory said she knew Lorelai had feelings for Luke. Even Emily had pointed it out years ago that she liked that Luke looked at her like, what had she compared it to, a porterhouse steak? It didn't really matter. Deep down Lorelai knew things had changed. It was the way Luke held her and the way he looked into her eyes tonight that was different. Hell, it was in the way he kissed her goodnight. Granted it was very chaste and innocent, but Luke and Lorelai were not the kissing type of friends. Lorelai could never understand people who walked into a room and kissed and hugged everyone there. It didn't make sense. It was little too much invasion into her personal space. She sighed as she rummaged through her closet to find something to wear. She had to get to the Dragonfly to finish some last minute touches to the inn before the big opening. She knew she would have to think while she worked at the inn.  
  
Across town Luke was in an extraordinary mood. Kirk changed his order three times Sunday morning and Luke didn't even look at him like he was going to toss him out of the diner. Everyone noticed his mood and after seeing him and Lorelai dance at the wedding everyone was pretty sure they knew why.  
  
"Hi Luke," said Miss Patty sauntering up to the counter.  
  
"Good Morning Patty. What can I get you today?" Luke said in an unusually upbeat tone.  
  
"Oh just some scrambled eggs and an orange juice," she replied. "How are you today honey? You seem like you're in a good mood," Patty fished.  
  
"Well it's not everyday your sister gets married Patty. I'd have to say yesterday was a very good day," Luke replied, not giving Patty an inch.  
  
Not one to be dissuaded Patty replied, "So do you know if we'll be seeing Lorelai in today Luke? You were the last one to see her, was it a late night?"  
  
"I don't know Patty she has a lot of work to do at the inn, but I'm sure she'll turn up sometime today. She usually does," he said as he turned into the kitchen to grab Taylor's order. Luke knew the town was full of gossip and that word traveled fast, but he could hardly believe Miss Patty was already questioning him about Lorelai and they hadn't even gone on a proper date yet. Hell, he hadn't even given her a real kiss yet!  
  
Miss Patty took the moment that Luke had his back turned to turn her head to Babette and Morey and shake her head. It was obviously that Luke wasn't about to give up any information on what was going on between him and Lorelai. They would simply wait it out, or track down Lorelai and get to the bottom of this intriguing romantic tale.  
  
***  
  
Lorelai walked into the kitchen of the Dragonfly after doing some last minute painting in the dining room. Even with the money Luke had loaned her she still had to take some of the easier tasks upon herself in order to save money. She brushed a piece of hair out of her face and flopped down on a stool when she heard the back door open. She turned to see Sookie walk in with a large box. Lorelai jumped off the stool to help her with the box she was carrying.  
  
"Hey Sook, what are you doing here today?" Lorelai asked as they both struggled to heave the box onto the counter.  
  
"Well we open next weekend and I was up all night thinking about the kitchen and then I thought of all the things I still needed and I realized I better get over here today because we open next weekend!" Sookie babbled excitedly. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"The baseboards in the dining room needed another coat of paint," Lorelai replied.  
  
"You should have told me," Sookie lightly hit Lorelai's shoulder as if to scold her. "I would have come to help out."  
  
"Don't worry about it," Lorelai replied taking her seat back on the stool. "I am completely finished. I don't think I have to worry about any other Ms. Fix It things around here for awhile."  
  
"That's great sweetie," Sookie replied unpacking the large box she brought in. Now Lorelai knew why it was so heavy. Sookie had packed a plethora of kitchen supplies including more pans, serving platters, basically everything but the kitchen sink. "Oh, so how was the wedding last night? Was it romantic? It looked romantic when Jackson and I were driving back into town."  
  
"Yeah, it was really nice. The lights were beautiful. Liz and T.J. really love each other," Lorelai said rather evasively.  
  
"Did Luke make you sit through the whole reception?"  
  
"Actually, no," Lorelai said as she got up to rinse out her coffee mug. "He actually asked me to dance."  
  
"Luke danced with you?" Sookie asked excitedly.  
  
"Yep. We danced and he walked me home and he kissed me on the cheek and I think I have an honest to goodness real date with him Wednesday," Lorelai said.  
  
"What?!" Sookie could barely hold back her excitement. "He asked you out? You're going out with Luke? He kissed you! Oh my gosh I have to sit down," Sookie said moving around the counter to sit in the chair Lorelai had recently vacated. Lorelai proceeded to fill Sookie in on the details of the wedding.  
  
"So, sweetie the only real question left is are you excited about this?" Sookie asked when she was finished.  
  
"Sookie I wish I knew," Lorelai sighed as she leaned on the counter. "I love Luke because he's Luke. I mean Rory, you and Luke are permanent fixtures in my life. But what if Luke and I do this thing and it doesn't work?"  
  
"Why wouldn't it work?" Sookie asked innocently.  
  
"For a million reasons Sookie. What if it didn't work for a million reasons? Then I'd have to cross Luke off my list of permanent people."  
  
"But that isn't the question Lorelai," Sookie answered.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean the question isn't what would happen if it didn't work. The question is do you feel that way about Luke? Does it make you happy to see him? Do you light up when he walks in a room? If not, then you need to let him down easy because he definitely feels that way about you."  
  
"Thanks Sook, no pressure there," Lorelai sighed.  
  
"Oh honey, that isn't how I meant it. I'm not helping here," Sookie said as she stood up and walked around the counter to stand next to Lorelai. She placed her hand supportively on her shoulder. "Look Lorelai the whole town has seen Luke form this massive crush on you. However, Stars Hollow is divided as to how you feel about Luke. Many of us are in the camp that you do love him, but you just haven't realized it yet. The other half of us thinking you don't love him that way because you should have realized it by now."  
  
"What camp are you in Sookie?"  
  
Sookie just smiled and went back to unpacking her box of kitchen equipment.  
  
"C'mon Sookie tell me," Lorelai said slightly agitated.  
  
"Lorelai, it doesn't matter what I think. The only thing that matters is how you feel when you're with Luke, or how you feel when you're not. How did you feel when you thought Luke was moving?"  
  
"Horrible," Lorelai finally admitted to someone other than herself. "But Sookie, I thought my parents were perfect for each other. A match made in trust fund heaven and look what's happened to them? I don't have the best track record in relationships. I don't think I can take the chance on screwing things up so completely with Luke."  
  
"Well take this for what it's worth, but I think the fact that you are even thinking about the possibility of messing things up with Luke says a lot," Sookie said.  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
"Well, you've thought about it long enough to entertain the possibility of being with him long enough to screw it up," Sookie stated pointedly.  
  
"Me and Luke, huh?" Lorelai responded with a slight hint of a smile in her tone.  
  
"Luke and Lorelai," Sookie affirmed with a smile.  
  
***  
  
TBC 


	2. The Date

Author's Note: Thanks again for the reviews! I'm having fun writing this so I hope ya'll are enjoying it.  
  
*** Wednesday arrived before Luke knew it. He was extremely nervous. He had gotten the hard part out of the way by evening asking Lorelai out, but now he actually had to attend the date. He took a look at himself in the mirror- -no hat and no flannel. He had even taken the time to shave. Maybe he should have asked her out to a restaurant? Maybe it would be less weird with people around. But then it would be more like a date. He felt more comfortable doing what he did best and that was cook Lorelai dinner. He straightened the belt Lorelai had picked out for him and ran his hands down his black turtleneck to smooth out any wrinkles. This was it. He was finally going to have a date with Lorelai Gilmore.  
  
Lorelai was frantic. Luke would be over in mere minutes for their date and she had already changed three times. What do you wear to a dinner date at your own house? She had finally settled on a thin three-quarter inch sleeve button down and a pair of jeans. Plain, but not too overdone, she hoped. She heard a knock downstairs and knew it was Luke. She took one last look in the mirror and ran downstairs. Her heart was racing as she opened the door. There he stood looking particularly un-Luke-like without a hat and flannel. She noticed that he wore the belt she picked out for him and a thin black turtleneck with his jeans.  
  
"Hey," he said casually as he stood on her porch.  
  
"Hey," she said just staring at him. She noticed they were both staring at each other when she finally understood that he was waiting for her to ask him in. "Oh, duh, come in," she said pulling his arm, and with it, him into the house. "Can I help you with the bags?"  
  
"No, I'm good, thanks," he said with a smile as they walked into the kitchen. "So, I haven't seen you in a few days. I was glad to see you in the diner this morning. I thought maybe you might cancel or something," Luke said tentatively.  
  
Lorelai took a seat at the kitchen table and started to dig out the contents of one of the bags Luke had laid there. "Oh, yeah I've been busy at the Inn. Sorry, I didn't mean to make you think that I was going to cancel. I just have a lot going on," Lorelai finished hastily.  
  
"Yeah, I know," Luke nodded his head as he started to get started on dinner. "So, how are things with your parents? You mentioned things weren't going so well."  
  
Lorelai shifted in her seat to a more comfortable position. Maybe this wouldn't be as weird as she thought. They were talking just like they normally did. Her heart finally slowed to a regular beating pattern as she spoke to Luke. "No, they aren't really going so well. My parents are actually separated. My mom," a lump started to catch in Lorelai's throat, surprising not only Luke, but her as well. "My mom actually isn't living with my dad anymore." Lorelai quickly tried to regain her composure and added, "Can you imagine Emily Gilmore at a hotel?"  
  
"Wow, I'm really sorry Lorelai," Luke looked her in the eye even while he was busy cooking. "They'll probably work things out," he added.  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, they probably will," Lorelai forced herself to agree. "I just can't believe that my parents aren't living together anymore. I must sound like a 10 year old who wants her parents together, but it's just weird."  
  
"It'll get better. I'm sure of it," Luke reassured her. "Now come here and taste this sauce, let me know if it needs anything."  
  
Lorelai got up out of her chair and stood by Luke's side in front of the stove. He dipped the spoon into the sauce and held it out for Lorelai to taste. Lorelai wasn't sure if it was the warmth emanating from the stove or from Luke's body but she felt very safe and very comfortable in that moment.  
  
She used her finger to wipe some of the excess sauce from her lip. She licked her finger and said, "Perfect. The only thing that sauce needs is me eating it."  
  
"Good," Luke said with a smile. He placed the spoon back into the pot and set the timer on the stove.  
  
"Well I'd say we've got about 15 minutes until the garlic bread is ready."  
  
"15 minutes? But I'm hungry now," Lorelai whined. "Ya know, I know of a diner just down the street and service is much faster than 15 minutes," Lorelai teased.  
  
"Yeah, well that diner serves burgers and fries, not a fine fettuccine alfredo," Luke responded.  
  
"And what is wrong with burgers and fries?" Lorelai inquired.  
  
"Nothing, but people shouldn't live on all that grease and caffeine," he added pointedly. "Besides only very special people get to sample the famous Danes' fettuccine alfredo," he added suavely.  
  
"Oh how did I get so lucky?" Lorelai responded in a mock melodramatic tone. It was at that moment that they realized they were standing very close to one another and when Lorelai took on her melodramatic tone she had inadvertently pushed out her chest, which was now just centimeters from Luke's chest. Normally this position would have only affected Luke, but now that they were on a date it seemed their position was more precarious.  
  
"Just lucky I guess," Luke let the moment pass without drawing attention to the awkward moment. Lorelai silently thanked him for letting that one go. Even though they were on a date the awkward romantic things usually happened at the end of the evening. Lorelai brushed past Luke and moved to the cabinet to grab a plate for the garlic bread.  
  
"I am you know," Lorelai said over her shoulder.  
  
"You are what?" Luke inquired.  
  
"Lucky. I mean I know I've been on orange alert in terms of stress level lately, but when I think of the agony that Trista had to go through to pick Ryan over Charlie and the horrible stress of a hundred helicopters at her wedding, I consider myself fortunate." She meant to be serious. She meant to tell him that she felt lucky that he was there, but as usual she used humor to mask her true feelings.  
  
Luke looked at Lorelai with a confused expression. 'I have no idea what you just said," he replied with a laugh. "In fact," he said approaching her, "I think I should be perfectly up front with you when I say that I don't really understand half of the things you say so if I ever just smile and nod, please just go with it."  
  
"I understand, but remind me to buy you the most current issues of People, Us, Rolling Stone and the National Enquirer tomorrow, kay?" she responded gamely.  
  
"Will do." The timer rang on the bread and Luke snapped into action draining the noodles, plating the bread and dishing out sauce. Lorelai just watched him work. She had never seen him in chef mode before and she had to admit she kind of enjoyed it. He had a face that he made that made her wonder what Luke must have looked like as a child. He furrowed his brow and his tongue stuck slightly out of the corner of his mouth as if he was in deep concentration. She thought it was extremely cute, but also endearing. It made her realize just how hard he was trying.  
  
Luke walked over to the table and presented Lorelai with a plate full of fettuccine. "Bon appetite," he said proudly.  
  
"Thank you," Lorelai said with a smile. "Uh, Luke, I know I eat a lot but did you happen to know that I don't house the 53rd Infantry when they're on leave?" Lorelai asked as she noticed the giant pot of noodles and sauce still left on the stove.  
  
Luke sat across from Lorelai at the table. "Yes, I do know that. I know you like leftovers. You and Rory are always heating up something in a Styrofoam package and I thought this might be a little bit healthier for you."  
  
Lorelai took this in. Did he know she was subsisting on Pop Tarts and fruit lately? She sometimes felt like Lane and the band. Man oh man how she missed the leftover Chinese her and Rory used to consume so readily. She was flattered that Luke was already looking out for her. He was always giving her grief about her eating habits, but she was touched that he had thought to make her leftovers, one of her favorite food groups.  
  
They ate dinner and talked about everything they normally discussed. Lorelai, while initially uneasy about having an official date with Luke, suddenly felt very normal. Luke asked about Rory and how school was going. They discussed Taylor's unfortunate run in with a strong breeze in which his toupee flew down the street inspiring the dogs Kirk was walking to chase after it. Lorelai felt more comfortable than she thought she would. She was looking across the table at Luke and she suddenly realized how right everything felt.  
  
"I am stuffed," Lorelai said upon finishing her meal. "I don't think I could eat another bite."  
  
Luke stood up to take their plates to the sink. "Oh, then I guess we can skip dessert," he said over his shoulder.  
  
"Dessert?" Lorelai perked up. "You know when I said I didn't think I could eat another bite I was talking about dinner food, not dessert food." She stood up and ran over to Luke. "So you actually brought dessert dessert? Not fruit or yogurt or fat free pretzels?"  
  
"You'll just have to wait and see," he said evasively while he rinsed their plates. Lorelai turned toward the sink and playfully bumped Luke away with her hip while pulling the plate out of his hand. 'You know I'm a really good at rinsing. You can even ask Rory. If rinsing were an Olympic event I would take home the gold. So how about if I finish rinsing and you can get dessert ready?" she said with a smile.  
  
Luke wiped his hands of on the dishtowel next to the sink. "Is there anything you won't do for sugar?" he asked incredulously.  
  
Lorelai cocked her head to the side and pretended to contemplate his question. "Um, no," she finally responded. "Now scoot," she happily used her wet hand to flick water in the direction of Luke's face in an attempt to prompt him to get the dessert out.  
  
"Did anyone ever tell you you're bossy?" Luke asked good-naturedly.  
  
"Only everyone I've ever met," Lorelai replied and stuck her tongue out at him while his back was turned.  
  
Lorelai continued to wash the dishes until Luke extended a bowl out in her level of vision. She excitedly turned off the water, wiped her hands on her jeans and reached for it as Luke pulled it up over his head. She made a face at him and attempted to grab at the bowl. "Luke," she whined. "Quit teasing me. What's in the bowl?"  
  
"Hold on a minute," he said, still holding the bowl out of her reach. "I wanted to compromise with you on this one so let me explain it before I show it to you. Now sit," he ordered.  
  
"Who's the bossy one now?" Lorelai pouted. But she did as Luke asked and sat down at the table.  
  
"Okay, you like fat and grease and sugar and artery hardening food and I like healthy food like fruit and vegetables," he started.  
  
"Luke if that is a bowl full of vegetables you seriously have no concept of what dessert means," Lorelai said. "Ha-ha," he said approaching the table with the two bowls. "So anyway, I thought I'd compromise with you on dessert and this is what I came up with." He placed the bowl in front of her as he sat down. Lorelai looked at the contents of the bowl. It was vanilla ice cream topped with an assortment of berries.  
  
"Luke, I appreciate that you tried to compromise with me, but vanilla ice cream? The blandest ice cream flavor of the bunch?"  
  
"Well the berries give it a sweet flavor. You don't hate fruit that much Lorelai," he reasoned. Besides, you didn't look at below the berries."  
  
Lorelai took her spoon and moved the berries out of the way. It was at that moment that she noticed a small square of angel food cake topped with chocolate syrup underneath the vanilla ice cream and berries. Lorelai's face exploded with a look of sheer joy. Luke took her expression in and grinned to himself. It never ceased to amaze him how excited Lorelai could get over something so insignificant. She displayed the joy of child upon finding chocolate and cake underneath her vanilla ice cream. That was one of the first things started to notice about Lorelai. The sheer delight she brought to a seemingly mundane situation.  
  
"Thank you!" Lorelai grinned. "But, I can't believe you're gonna eat this."  
  
"I'm not. Mine is just ice cream and berries, but mostly berries," he responded with a smile. Luke placed on hand on the table and continued to eat his dessert. Lorelai noticed movement and she suddenly had the urge to simply hold his hand. She slowly picked up her right hand and placed it over Luke's.  
  
"This was really nice," she said.  
  
"Thank you," he responded, flipping her hand palm up and intertwining his fingers with her.  
  
"You're welcome," she replied suddenly very aware that she was holding Luke's hand. It made her unsure of herself. Lorelai didn't really understand it because she rarely felt unsure with men. She seemed to always be the one in charge of herself and her emotions, but with Luke she wasn't sure of anything. He made her head spin with infinite emotions.  
  
Luke loved the way Lorelai's hand felt in his. To him her hand felt like an extension of his own. She had taken him by surprise by grabbing his hand so suddenly but he enjoyed ever minute of it. "So, are things going to be ready for the party at the inn on Friday?" he asked.  
  
"Yep," Lorelai nodded while eating. "There are few last minute things that are being done this week but it should be finished. Speaking of the party, I was hoping you'd let me recognize you for your help with the Dragonfly," she said.  
  
"No," Luke said immediately. "Lorelai, no one needs to know about the loan. It wasn't a big deal," Luke shrugged.  
  
Lorelai, who had finished her ice cream, put her spoon in the bowl and placed her other hand on top of Luke's. "Luke, it was a big deal," Lorelai tried to make him understand. "Without you the Dragonfly wouldn't be opening, it's that simple. I'd like everyone to know how terrific you are, not they don't already know."  
  
Luke sighed and leaned forward placing his other hand onto theirs. "You know I'm not comfortable with things like that Lorelai. The people in this town already know too much of my business," Luke said as he used his fingers to make lazy circles on the top of Lorelai's hand.  
  
"Okay, you compromised on dessert so I want to compromise on this too," Lorelai said thinking. "What about if I say I'm thanking someone who is anonymous? That way I can say thank you in front of everyone, but no one has to know it's you." "I don't know," Luke said skeptically.  
  
"I won't even look at you," Lorelai added.  
  
"Oh alright, go ahead." Luke conceded.  
  
Lorelai slapped his hand lightly and smiled. "Good, see, that wasn't so hard!"  
  
"Yeah well, just be sure to keep my name out of it," he said.  
  
"Yes sir," Lorelai said. "My lips are sealed," she took her hand and made a zipper motion over her lips. They sat there for a moment with their fingers still intertwined until Lorelai broke the comfortable silence. "Luke, I hate to do this, but I still have some last minute things to get ready for the opening and I was kind of hoping to get some it done tonight," she admitted feeling bad about basically asking him to leave.  
  
"Oh sure, no problem," Luke said letting go of her hands and standing. "Is it anything I can help with?"  
  
"Not unless you do a killer whip stitch," Lorelai said standing to walk to him to the door.  
  
"Right," he said nodding his head. "See this is one of those times where I'm just going to smile and nod and pretend I know what you're talking about okay?" he said jokingly as they walked to the front door.  
  
"Whip stitch is a sewing thing. Maybe I'll get you Sewing 101 along with your trashy magazines," she said as they approached the door.  
  
"Hey, you told me yourself those magazines are a valid source of important news," he laughed as he put his hand on the doorknob.  
  
They stood there for a moment, neither sure of what to do. Luke had hoped Lorelai would give him some sort of signal. The handholding was good but he wasn't sure if that was a signal that she was ready for an actual kiss.  
  
Lorelai stood close to Luke waiting for him to make a move. The evening had been great. She felt bad asking him to leave but she did a good 4 hours of inn work ahead of her. What was taking him so long to just kiss her? Lorelai supposed that she would have to be the one to initiate a kiss and she leaned in just as Luke decided to give up hope of a good night kiss and he leaned his head back. They both saw the other move in an opposite direction and tried to amend what they'd just done. Luke moved forward and Lorelai moved her head backwards again. Lorelai giggled nervously as it looked like their lips would never connect. Luke's face flushed slightly at this awkward, horrible moment. Finally he made a grand movement towards Lorelai and gently kissed her lips. It was quick, faster than either would have liked but Luke couldn't even tell if she wanted him to kiss her so he opted to keep it short and sweet. It was neither awful, nor earth shattering, just awkward.  
  
Luke looked at Lorelai sheepishly and said, "Well, uh, goodnight I guess."  
  
Lorelai didn't know what to make of the kiss. The night had been so comfortable and normal and then the kiss was--what was it? Weird? Awkward? It was actually both. She knew it wasn't because of their lack of chemistry. Lorelai felt it when they brushed up against each other in the kitchen. She felt it when they held hands over dessert.  
  
"Yeah, you have a good night too. Thanks for dinner," Lorelai said a little enthusiastically as though she was trying to make up for something.  
  
"Yeah, so have a good night" Luke said as he walked off the porch and waved goodbye.  
  
"Night," Lorelai said as she waved back and shut the door. Lorelai leaned her back against the front door and put her hand to her mouth. Luke got into his truck and sat before starting the engine. 'What the hell was that?' they both thought.  
  
***  
  
TBC 


	3. Trouble

Last time: Luke and Lorelai shared a dance and a first date, which ended in a horribly awkward kiss.  
  
***  
  
It was Friday morning. It had been approximately a day since the "Kiss from Hell." Lorelai was at the Dragonfly getting ready for the opening party later that evening. She hadn't slept well the night before in anticipation of the inn finally opening. She hadn't seen Luke since Wednesday night and their awkward kiss goodnight. She wasn't avoiding him she just had a lot of last minute business to take care of. She stood at the desk sorting through an odd assortment of bills and invoices yet to be paid. She was completely oblivious to the figure that had walked up to the desk until he hit the service bell to her right. Lorelai looked up and saw Luke standing in front of her with a large cup of coffee, bag and a smile.  
  
"Hey," she said, her lips breaking into a smile.  
  
"Hey," he responded with the same smile. "You haven't been to the diner so I thought I would bring the diner to you on account of how busy you've been. I also believe I have you to thank for the basket full of assorted, trashy magazines that happened to show up on my doorstep this morning?"  
  
"That is so nice of you," she said putting her pen down on the heap of paper in front of her. "And yes, you do have me to thank for the assorted news magazines I left outside your door. You'll also be glad to know that you will soon be receiving your very own subscription to People in four to six weeks," she smiled.  
  
"Great, I was wondering how I was going to keep up on the next Nick and Jessica Variety Hour," he wryly replied.  
  
"Ahh, see you did like them! So, would it be too forward if I asked what's in the bag?" she asked.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know," he teased her with his voice full of innuendo.  
  
"You're very dirty when you want to be Luke Danes. Now give me," she said reaching across the desk and grabbing the bag from his hands. She hurriedly opened the bag and screeched giddily. "Chocolate and jelly and sprinkled oh my! Sprinkled, I think I've missed you most of all," she said taking in the aroma.  
  
"I couldn't narrow it down since all donuts seem to be your favorite," he said.  
  
"Thanks. I really appreciate it," she replied. It was at this point that they just stared at each other, neither sure of what to say next. They both knew their next meeting would be weird given the horrendous attempt at a proper goodnight kiss on Wednesday.  
  
"So," Luke broke the ice, "I just wanted to say that Wednesday was nice. I mean it definitely had a weird moment there at the end, but I had fun." Luke blushed slightly remembering his awkward movement away and hers forward and his forward and her away again. It definitely wasn't how he had imagined their first official kiss going.  
  
"Yeah, it was a little odd, but I think when things settle down here we'll have time to work on that," Lorelai replied slightly unsure of herself. She couldn't believe she felt so unsure, especially around Luke.  
  
Luke was happy to hear that she was willing to forget about the "Kiss from Hell" and move forward. Although he had an inkling that Lorelai felt the way he was feeling, he needed to be sure. That was really his ulterior motive for bringing her breakfast. He was planning on telling her how he felt about her. He realized he should have told her on Wednesday but he couldn't muster the courage to actually say out loud what he had been feeling for all these years.  
  
"So listen," Luke started. "I know you're busy with things here, but I wanted to talk to you for a minute about some stuff." Lorelai nodded for him to continue. "Um, on Wednesday I should have --," but he was cut off. At that moment the noise of a saw buzzed through the room. The noise made both Lorelai and Luke jump. Lorelai came out from behind the desk and took Luke by the arm out the front door.  
  
"It was a little noisy in there with last minute touches," she explained when they got to a quieter spot on the front lawn. She hadn't let go of his arm and Luke took the opportunity to slip his hand over hers. He turned to face her and took her other hand in his. They were staring at each other before Luke finally broke the silence.  
  
"So, the other night was great, but I kind of realized we didn't really talk about what was going on with us. I'm kind of a planning kind of guy and so I realized I probably should have told you --," he was cut off again, but his time by the sound of Sookie coming out on the porch yelling for Lorelai.  
  
"Oh there you are!" Sookie exclaimed. "I've been looking all over for you. I am having a crisis! Did we decide on flan or tiny tartlets for tonight?" Sookie had approached Luke and Lorelai and immediately noticed they were holding hands. She felt horrible. Especially when Lorelai's gaze was clearing telling her that she had interrupted something. "You know what," Sookie continued backing away from them, "it's not a crisis. It can wait. You two do whatever it is you were about to do." With that Sookie was back inside the Inn and Luke and Lorelai turned back to each other.  
  
"Okay, sorry." Lorelai said. She had a sense that whatever Luke was going to say it was important. "Continue."  
  
"Okay so I had a good time Wednesday and the real reason I came here today wasn't just to pile you with coffee and donuts," Luke started.  
  
"It wasn't? What else is there?" Lorelai joked.  
  
"Look, I really just need to tell you how I --," Luke was cut off yet again.  
  
"Lorelai," Emily said as she approached the two of them from her car. "I need to speak to you please." Luke dropped Lorelai's hands in defeat. It was fairly clear to him that this declaration of feeling would have to wait until a more suitable time. Lorelai was caught between Luke and Emily. She really wanted to know what Luke was trying in vain to spit out, but she was also wondering what her mother was doing here. Luke didn't give Lorelai time to decide what to do. He made the decision for her.  
  
"Ya know what, I'm gonna go back to the diner. We'll talk later," he said as he turned to his truck.  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked feebly.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry about it," Luke said with a small, sad smile. He had just gotten his courage up and now it would have to wait.  
  
"Okay, thanks," Lorelai half-whispered. She caught up to Luke and put a hand on his arm and whispered, "I wasn't expecting her to be here and with everything going on with my Dad she might need to talk. Maybe she'll actually tell me their officially separated."  
  
"No problem. I'll see you later," he said knowingly as he got into his truck and backed down the drive.  
  
Lorelai turned back toward her mother. She walked up to her and said, "What are you doing here Mom? Don't you think you were a little rude?"  
  
"I'm sorry Lorelai," Emily apologized. "Is there something going on with you and the flannel man?"  
  
"Luke, mom. His name is Luke and you know it," Lorelai sighed as she walked back into the inn. The sawing had stopped and she trudged up the steps. Emily followed quickly behind her.  
  
"I'm sorry. I do know his name is Luke. Is there something going on with you and Luke? What about Jason? " Emily inquired again.  
  
"I don't want to talk about this Mom," Lorelai evaded. "Did you need something? What are you doing here? The party isn't until tonight."  
  
"I came to find out what I should wear," Emily said.  
  
"You came all the way here to find out what you should wear?" Lorelai asked slightly agitated. What nerve her mother had stopping by unannounced, breaking up her conversation with Luke and then demanding information on her relationship with him. Lorelai took her spot behind the desk and pretended to flip through the papers on the desk.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So you were in Hartford and decided, 'hey I've got nothing going on today, I think I'll drive all the way to Stars Hollow to ask Lorelai what I should wear tonight?'" Lorelai gestured wildly with her hands in emphasis her point.  
  
"Is that so hard to believe?"  
  
"Yes. Yes, Mom, it's a little hard to believe even for you. What's going on?"  
  
"Nothing is going on Lorelai," Emily enforced. "I had a rather light day today and I thought I'd drop by to see what I should wear. I'm sorry if that bothers you and I'm sorry if that ruins your plans with Luke. What is going on with Luke? Are going to tell me or are you going to shut me out on this too?" Emily asked, hurt.  
  
Lorelai sighed. Of course Emily was going to bring up the fact that she hid her relationship with Jason from her. She couldn't believe how hypocritical her mother was being. She kept making Lorelai feel guilty for hiding the truth about Jason, yet she was separated from Richard and hadn't even bothered to let Lorelai know.  
  
"It doesn't bother me that you're here okay? It's just not like you. But I guess you haven't really acted like yourself lately anyway. And I'm not shutting you out of my life. For your information I broke up with Jason because he is suing Dad. I'd think you should know that," Lorelai said pointedly and threw the stack of correspondence in her hands down on the desk. "And what is going on with Luke is new and I don't know what it is yet, okay?"  
  
"You broke up with Jason?" Emily asked surprised.  
  
"Yes, I broke up with Jason. Didn't Dad tell you?" Luke had taught Lorelai how to fish and she was in the mood to catch her mother in a lie. She was tired of the lies and pretenses her parents had made her put up with. If Emily could be upset with her for dating Jason behind her back then Lorelai could certainly be upset with her mother for leaving her father behind hers.  
  
"No, he didn't mention it," Emily said glumly averting eye contact.  
  
Lorelai took the opportunity and rounded the desk and stood next to her mother. "Wow, that's really odd. I would have thought that would have been a big topic in the Gilmore household," Lorelai would not back down. Emily, feeling very uncomfortable walked over the couch in the Dragonfly lobby and sat down. Lorelai followed in hot pursuit.  
  
"And speaking of shutting people out of key aspects of their life," Lorelai continued, "what have you and Dad been up to lately?"  
  
"I don't know what you mean Lorelai," Emily said staring intently at her purse.  
  
"You don't know what I'm talking about? How about the fact that you don't sleep at home anymore?" Lorelai sat down next to her mother like a cat ready to pounce. She knew she was pushing Emily and she knew she was being horrible, but she could help it. She had so much stress with the inn that she couldn't handle the fact that she knew her parent's were hiding their separation from her.  
  
"What?" Emily gasped. She lifted her eyes up to meet Lorelai's and immediately the tears began to well up. Lorelai instantly felt horrible. She instinctively put an arm around Emily's shoulder in an effort to comfort her, which was kind of odd, but also kind of nice.  
  
"I'm sorry Mom, I shouldn't have said that," Lorelai backtracked. "I, it's just that, Rory and I saw you leave with clothes after dinner a few weeks ago and you and Dad have been acting so weird lately. What happened?"  
  
"Oh Lorelai this isn't any of your business," Emily said pulling away from her. "Your father just isn't the man I thought he was," Emily said wiping her eyes. She was silent for a moment before she turned back to Lorelai with dry eyes. "Now, any suggestions for what I should wear tonight?"  
  
"That's it?" Lorelai asked stunned. "You're just going to admit you're separated because Dad isn't who you thought he was and move on?"  
  
"Yes Lorelai, I am," Emily said standing up.  
  
"Why? I don't understand. Are you getting divorced?"  
  
"Lorelai honestly, I am not having this conversation with you," Emily said.  
  
"Mom, tell me," Lorelai said with a softened tone. "Please, are you and Dad okay or are you getting a divorce?"  
  
"I don't know Lorelai," Emily replied defeated, but honest.  
  
"Oh my god," Lorelai whispered. "I don't know what to say."  
  
"Just tell me what you're wearing tonight so I know what is suitable," Emily replied very business-like.  
  
"Um, I'm wearing a black dress," Lorelai responded robotically.  
  
"Floor length, tea length or cocktail?" was Emily's cold response.  
  
"Uh, cocktail. But Mom, you can't just tell me you might be getting divorced and change the subject," Lorelai protested.  
  
"Yes I can. Thank you. See, it wasn't so hard to answer my simple question," Emily said fully composed. "I'll see you tonight at 7 p.m." With that Emily walked swiftly out of the Dragonfly and left Lorelai sitting on the couch stunned. She knew that her parents were separated but she didn't honestly think they could get a divorce. She tried to compose herself. There was still much work to be done before the party.  
  
***  
  
Luke had only been back at the diner for about 10 minutes when he had a sudden urge to get back in his truck and drive back to the inn. He knew that he was interrupted three times while trying to tell Lorelai how he felt, but he had a nagging feeling that he had to tell her at that very moment. How many times had he thought about telling her only to find her with some other guy? How many times had he thought about telling her only to lose his nerve? Thinking about all the moments he had already wasted he told Caesar to watch the diner again. He had somewhere very important to be.  
  
Lorelai was trying to concentrate on her work, but she couldn't escape the horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. Why did her mother have to come visit today? Why did she push her into admitting the truth about her and Richard? She didn't know why she forced her mother into admitting the separation. That had been cruel. Lorelai had been under so much pressure lately that something had to give, and that something just happened to be her patience with her mother. She was completely in a daze when she felt someone staring at her. She looked up and despite herself she smiled. He smiled back at her and approached the desk.  
  
"Jason," Lorelai said.  
  
"Lorelai," he replied. 'I was afraid you wouldn't be so pleased to see me."  
  
"I just really needed a friendly face right now," she stated.  
  
"Is everything okay?" Jason asked concerned.  
  
Lorelai waved her hand as if to dismiss his concern. "It's fine. I'm fine. How are you?"  
  
"I've been better, but I actually came here to talk to you about something," Jason said.  
  
"Okay, shoot."  
  
"Well, the last time we spoke I was suing your father over the business. I can understand your issue with that and I've thought about it. Quite honestly Lorelai I have been miserable without you. These last few weeks have completely, for lack of better word, sucked. I didn't have my partner in crime to joke with and I didn't have to anyone to talk to about my current predicament. I've hated it," Jason laid it out.  
  
"Jason, I don't know what --," he cut her off with a wave of his hand.  
  
"I know. You don't have to say anything. My point, which I am not getting to very quickly, is that I miss you and this morning I decided I would do whatever it took to get you back. That's why I called my lawyer and dropped my lawsuit against your father." Jason walked to the other side of the desk and was standing next to Lorelai. He took her face in his hands and looked her in the eye. "I miss you and basically I'm in love with you Lorelai Gilmore."  
  
Lorelai didn't know what to think. Her head was spinning. She had fun with Jason and the only reason she broke up with him was because of her father. Before she knew it she felt Jason's lips on her hers and she wasn't pulling away. It felt so good to be needed and comforted especially after what happened with her mother. She was kissing Jason. She was kissing Jason? She soon came to the realization that she didn't want to be kissing Jason. She wished that Jason were Luke. When that thought dawned on her she pulled away from him, but not before she turned her head to the side and caught a glimpse of Luke.  
  
"You've got to be kidding me," Luke spat in disgust as he quickly exited the inn.  
  
Jason turned upon hearing Luke's voice and he looked at Lorelai, but she was already half way out of the room following Luke.  
  
"Lorelai?" Jason questioned.  
  
Lorelai turned, but continued to walk backwards toward the door. Jason noticed her eyes were starting to tear up.  
  
"Jason I'm sorry," Lorelai hurriedly tried to explain. "I can't do this again. I like you, I think you're great, but I'm not in love with you. I didn't realize it until just now. I have to go. I'm sorry," was all Lorelai could manage to spit out before she ran out the door.  
  
"Was that Duke? Are you in love with Duke?" Jason questioned to no one in particular.  
  
*** TBC 


	4. Issues

Author's Note: The saga continues. Thanks so much for the reviews! I look forward to each and every one. It seems I have been very productive lately so enjoy two chapters in one day! Since I haven't stated this in a while I don't any of the characters or the premise this is only what I'd like to see happen next. Gilmore Girls is the property of Amy Sherman-Palladino and the WB. Watch the Frog.  
  
*** Lorelai was out the front door of the Dragonfly in just enough time to see Luke's truck kick up dust as he peeled out of the drive. She quickly pulled the keys to her Jeep out of her pocket and raced to follow him. She wiped the tears from her eyes once again as she drove to catch up with Luke. From the looks of it he was going back to the diner. She couldn't believe how horribly wrong the day gone. Today was supposed to be the opening of the Dragonfly, one of the best days of Lorelai's life. Instead she had practically made her mother cry, she had to let Jason down again, but most of all, she had hurt Luke. She had done the one thing she had worried about doing since the minute she had accepted his date invitation.  
  
Lorelai pulled into the town square and saw Luke's truck parked outside the diner. She knew he was in there. She knew he was furious. Most of all she knew she had to see him. She got out of the Jeep and walked into the diner. Luke was behind the counter with his back to her. He turned around when he heard the bell over the door.  
  
"Get out," he said. "I don't want to talk to you right now." The venom in his tone and look in his eyes alarmed Lorelai. Kirk was the only other person in the diner and he was taking in the scene with a look of confusion.  
  
"Luke," Lorelai half whispered, "Please, we need to talk."  
  
"No, Lorelai, we don't. I saw everything I needed to see," he said loudly as he slammed a plate of fries in front of Kirk. "Do you need anything else Kirk?" he asked turning his back on Lorelai.  
  
Lorelai tentatively moved closer to Luke. "Please Luke," she begged with tears in her eyes. "Please talk to me."  
  
He sighed and turned toward her. "You don't get to do this to me Lorelai. I told you I didn't want to talk, now get out." He turned his back and walked behind the counter where he did pretended to busy himself with mundane housekeeping chores. She followed him and stood on the other side of the counter. In reality it was just a few pieces of Formica and metal separating them, but inwardly they were galaxies apart.  
  
"Luke, I know what you saw was bad," she started. Luke gave a tiny snort of recognition to her statement.  
  
"But, it's not what you think."  
  
Luke turned around to face her and saw the tears in her eyes. They weren't tears of anger, but of sadness and frustration. "Get out Kirk," Luke said.  
  
"Me? Why me? I thought wanted her to get out," Kirk said pointing at Lorelai.  
  
"Kirk, get out or I'll help you out," Luke replied emphatically. Kirk saw the seriousness on Luke's face and he quickly fled the diner. Luke followed him and locked the deadbolt. Flipping the open sign to closed he turned to Lorelai.  
  
"Luke, I swear to you that hurting you is the last thing I ever wanted to do," Lorelai started. "My mother came to the inn this morning and I was horrible to her and she told me she wasn't sure if she was going to stay with my Dad. She was talking about divorcing my Dad and the whole thing really freaked me out. Then Jason came over and he was apologizing about suing my Dad and he said he loved me and he kissed me and I was so out of it I didn't even realize it, until I did, and I knew it wasn't right," Lorelai spilled out.  
  
"Jason, so he has a name. It's good to know he wasn't just a carpenter you decided to pick up," Luke replied angrily. "Who the hell is Jason Lorelai?"  
  
Lorelai looked at him with confusion until she realized that she had never told Luke about Jason. She tugged a piece of hair and forced it behind her ear. "Jason was my boyfriend. He was my father's business partner but I broke up with him because he was suing my Dad over the business. I guess I never told you about him. I'm sorry," she explained.  
  
Luke took this in and crossed his arms across his chest as he let out a sigh. "Your boyfriend?" Luke questioned. "That's interesting because I don't ever remember saying you had a boyfriend Lorelai. I remember you telling me my marriage was a mistake. I remember you completely disapproving of Nicole. I remember you not wanting me to move to Litchfield, but I don't remember telling me about your boyfriend."  
  
"What does your marriage have to do with Jason?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"Everything Lorelai!" Luke shouted. "Don't you understand it has everything to do with it. I shared everything with you about my relationship with Nicole. I told you things even though I knew you didn't approve because you were constantly questioning me about it. You judged everything I did with her, but you didn't even have the decency to tell me about your boyfriend Jason," he leaned forward as he spat out words. "But that isn't the half of it. You knew Nicole cheated on me. You knew I couldn't handle that. Hell, you were the one who bailed me out of jail. And yet, the second I turn my back, after our first date, you're making out with another guy!" Luke was pacing in front of the diner door now.  
  
"Luke I didn't cheat on you!" Lorelai yelled back. She had reached her breaking point and it appeared Luke, much like her mother, was going to be the one to bear the brunt of her frustrations. "We shared one dance, one meal, one awkward kiss. That does not make me beholden to you Luke."  
  
Luke stopped pacing the floor. He paused and turned to stare at her in utter disbelief. "You really have no clue. After all this time you still have no idea," Luke shouted. "This wasn't a casual thing to me Lorelai. It's what I was trying to tell you this morning. It's what I was going back to the inn to tell you. I have wanted you for years and every time I get close to telling you something happens. First Max comes along and then Christopher and then you're dating a high schooler or a fisherman and now I find out there's a Jason, who you dated for God knows how long! It's like will it never end? Will she date anyone with a pulse but me?"  
  
"So I finally decided I couldn't wait for you forever and I moved on. I got married and I tried to make it work with Nicole but part of me wasn't in it and she cheated and I failed at marriage. It took me failing to realize I didn't want to fail in love again." He looked her directly in the eyes as he continued. Lorelai took in his stare and felt like he was looking straight through her, straight into her soul.  
  
"You're it for me Lorelai. If you and I don't make sense then I don't know what does. So I finally got enough nerve to ask you to my sister's wedding and then out on an actual date after that and I wanted to tell you how I felt then, but I couldn't. So I tried again today, but people interrupted so I left for 20 minutes and I come back to find you kissing this ex- boyfriend who I didn't even know existed!" He let it all out and when he was done he held on to the back of a chair and leaned in, exhausted.  
  
Lorelai stood there in shock. He said more to her about his feelings in three minutes than he had ever said aloud in one breath. He had really let her have it. She should have been mad, but he had a point. She dated Jason for months and never told him and all she did was give him grief about his hasty marriage to Nicole.  
  
"You're right," she said approaching him. "You're right Luke. I dated Jason without telling you and also without telling my parents. I gave you a hard time about Nicole and that was wrong. But deep down inside she was taking you away from me. I felt threatened okay? Somewhere in the back of my mind you were my security blanket Luke," she said.  
  
She was standing right in front of him. His arms still folded across his chest. She looked down at her shoes and shuffled her feet like a kindergartner. "I was afraid of hurting you," she continued. "I have screwed up so many things, so many relationships and I didn't want to screw this up too. You think I didn't notice your feelings for me, but I did. I just ignored it until you said you were moving and then I realized how much you mean to me and it scared the hell out of me. So I did what Gilmores do best and I ignored it. I ignored it until you pushed me to look at it. I ignored it until I looked into your eyes at the wedding. And then, even when I saw it right in front of me, I got scared."  
  
"You don't think this is scary for me? I put myself on the line and then I find you making out with some guy I didn't even know existed," Luke said quietly, but still upset.  
  
"I know, I'm sorry," Lorelai apologized again. "I don't know why I let him kiss me. I thought I broke up with Jason because of the thing with my Dad, but then he kissed me today and I realized it wasn't there. It was never there. I was kissing him but it wasn't the same feeling I have when I'm with you. I so desperately wanted to be kissing you."  
  
Luke just stared at her his resolve to stay angry with her was slowly fading.  
  
"Luke, I'm still dealing with my parent's marriage possibly being over. My parents, dysfunctional as they may be, were perfect for each other. They're both crazy, but they understand each other. If they can't stay together it scares me to think about who can. Jason came over and I just needed someone, but I know now that the someone I needed was you."  
  
Lorelai approached him and uncrossed his arms from his chest and circled them around her waist and wrapped her arms around his neck. She tucked her head into the space between Luke's chin and shoulder. They stood there for a moment just holding each other. Their breath seemed to fall into a rhythmic pattern and they were one. Lorelai looked up at him and he looked down at her and their eyes met. His eyes darted from her eyes down to her lips and back up again almost as if he was looking for an answer to an unspoken question. She unhooked her arms from around his neck and placed her hands on his face. Gently she pulled his face down to hers and placed her lips on his. The kiss was soft and lingering. He pulled away and looked her in the eyes one more time before he moved forward again and their lips met without hesitation. She felt the stubble on his chin tickle the side of her cheek and his hands move up her back to pull her closer to him as the kiss deepened. They hungrily explored each other as if they had been deprived of passion for years. He parted his lips slightly and Lorelai took advantage of the movement by lightly rolling her tongue across his lower lip. He reciprocated in kind and they were lost in each other for a moment before they finally broke for air. They looked at each and smiled.  
  
Luke kept one arm around her waist and smoothed out the top of Lorelai's hair with his other hand. He then lowered his face and planted a small kiss on Lorelai's forehead.  
  
"That was much better than the first one," she joked quietly.  
  
"I know," he replied with a morose smile. "That's why this is really hard for me, but I can't be with you right now," he said as he unwrapped her arms from around his neck and placed them at her sides. He turned to flip the closed sign to open and unlocked the deadbolt. He left Lorelai standing there bewildered as he crossed behind her to go back behind the counter.  
  
*** TBC  
  
A/N: Please stick with me on this one. I do have a master plan-- eventually! I'll try not to leave you hanging for too long. ( 


	5. Just friends

Lorelai stood there staring at Luke's back stunned for a moment. Upon processing what just happened she raced to the door and locked it again, flipping the open sign over again. Luke turned around and faced her, his hands on the counter.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked her slightly agitated.  
  
"What am I doing?" Lorelai responded moving toward the counter. "What are you doing? You tell me how you've wanted me forever, you get me to admit that I have feelings for you that are way beyond friendship and you kiss me like that and then you say, 'sorry we can't be together'? What the hell is going on Luke?"  
  
"I don't get it either Lorelai," he said looking down at the counter sheepishly.  
  
"Are you punishing me? Is this punishment for kissing Jason? I said I was sorry. I'm sorry I kissed him. I'm sorry I never told you about him. I told you it didn't mean anything," she yelled tears starting to form again in her eyes.  
  
Luke darted from around the counter and pulled Lorelai over to a stool. He gently placed her on it and he sat on the other and faced her. "Lorelai, I don't even know why I'm doing this, but we can't be together right now. I have imagined the moment when I would finally tell you how I felt and I always hoped you would say you felt the same way and you did. And then I finally got to kiss you and hold you like I've always wanted, but it was too much, too fast."  
  
"It was only a kiss Luke," Lorelai reasoned.  
  
"Yeah, but it was more than that. I realize that we're not ready for this right now," he sighed. "Do you know what gave me the courage to tell you how I feel?"  
  
Lorelai shook her head and looked down at her shoes again.  
  
"It was a self-help tape," he snorted slightly as he let the words out. "I was thinking about how I failed with Jess, failed with Nicole and then I thought about you. You're one of the only people I haven't failed. I was depressed. When I kissed you I realized that I'm not over my marriage yet."  
  
Lorelai quickly glanced up. The correlation between Jess, Nicole and self- help was not making sense. "You're still in love with Nicole?" she tentatively asked.  
  
"No! No, I'm not in love with Nicole," Luke quickly tried to put her fear to rest. "I meant that I'm not over the fact that I got married and failed miserably at it. I think I need to deal with that before I can move on. I was listening to a self-help tape. Doesn't that strike you as odd? Look, kissing you just now was honestly one of the best moments of my life, but I know that as much as I'd like to, I can't escape my problems by losing myself in you," he said taking her chin in his hand. "That kiss was so powerful and scary that I don't want to start anything with you until I know I can be in it 100%. I can't do that right now. And I honestly don't think you can either," he finished.  
  
"I don't love Jason," Lorelai stated. "I'm ready to move on with you. You're not the rebound guy. You're more like the guy I always should have been with Luke," she was silently pleading with him to change his mind. She took his hand and ran her fingers over his.  
  
"Please don't make this harder than it already is," Luke said as he pulled his hand away. "I'm not saying I don't want to be with you because that is the farthest thing from my mind. I want to be with you, but I honestly think starting this now is a mistake. You just broke up with Jason. I just got divorced. The inn is opening and your parents are separated. That is a lot of stress to bring to a new relationship. If we start something I don't want it to be casual and I don't think either of us in ready for that," Luke said quietly.  
  
Suddenly Lorelai realized what he was saying. He was saying that he wanted an exclusive relationship. He wanted something Lorelai was not ready to give. The concept completely frightened her. She wasn't ready for that level of commitment and he knew her well enough to recognize that. She knew her feelings for Luke were new and intense, but they weren't exclusive relationship intense. She also thought about his arguments and they were all valid. Richard and Emily's separation had really messed with her mind. Not an hour ago she let Jason kiss her and the inn was just opening. This, coupled with the fact that Luke had only been divorced for about a week, really made her see his point.  
  
"So, what does this mean?" she asked wiping her eyes again. "Where do we go from here Luke? I mean we've shared more with each other about feeling in the last 15 minutes than we have in the last 15 years."  
  
"I know," he replied scratching the back of his neck. "I was thinking that too. I think we should just be ourselves. You come to the diner, we talk and then when we're ready we can talk about this again, if you want," he added.  
  
"It's just that easy for you to erase the past three days?" Lorelai said in disbelief. She knew full well it would be nearly impossible to forget the feel of Luke's arms around her and the sensation of his lips on hers. She had opened her heart and her mind to the thought of her and Luke and it finally seemed right. She saw his point, but the thought of going back to what they were made her heart ache.  
  
"No I definitely don't think it will be easy," Luke conceded. "But what else can we do? Do you think you're ready for this now? If you tell me that you can give yourself to this relationship 100% I'll do it," he offered.  
  
"Luke, don't do this," Lorelai pleaded. "Can't we just date? The pressure you're putting on this is crazy."  
  
"I don't think it is Lorelai. Do you honestly want to date me knowing that a small part of me is doing it to prove to myself that I am not a failure in relationships?"  
  
"No," Lorelai confessed. "But I thought you had feelings for me Luke? Are you telling me that you don't?"  
  
"No, I'm telling you that I found to the courage to even tell you how I felt because I was tired of failing. That was my motivation. The feelings have been there for years. I have agonized over it for years and I guess I'm scared now. I'm scared of starting something with you on false pretenses. I want to be with you without baggage, strings or anything else. Just you and me." His eyes pleaded with Lorelai to listen to him, to understand that he wasn't rejecting her, just their timing.  
  
"Okay. I guess I don't really have a choice her do I? Friends it is. It can't be that hard right? We've been friends for a long time. Well," she said, standing up and smoothing out her jeans, "I have an inn to get ready." She started to walk toward the doors and it dawned on her that Luke might not come to the party at the Dragonfly. She turned to him and asked, "Luke, are you going to come to the party tonight?"  
  
Luke turned around on the stool and looked her in the eyes. "I wouldn't miss it," he said with a sad smile.  
  
Lorelai nodded and walked out of the diner. Luke put his head down and sighed. He had just done the one of the hardest things he could think of, but he knew it was the right thing for them in the end.  
  
***  
  
It was 7:30 p.m. and most of the guests had arrived at the Dragonfly. Lorelai, Sookie and Michel had been running around all afternoon getting ready for the party. Rory had come home from Yale for the big event and was chatting with Richard and Emily, who were still pretending to be a happy couple for everyone's benefit, maybe even their own. Lorelai scanned the room and saw her family, Miss Patty, Babette, Taylor, Kirk, basically everyone in town with the exception of Luke. She knew she had to start the speeches soon, but she was silently praying that Luke would walk in before she started. Maybe it was too weird for him. Considering all that had happened she couldn't really blame him for not coming. He wasn't ready, and according to him, neither was she. It was funny. It was Lorelai who had the doubts and fears about whether or not things would work. She agonized over the decision to even have a real date with him. But in the end it was Luke's insecurities that had overtaken them, while Lorelai's had suddenly disappeared. The dance was the first step in acknowledging her feelings for Luke were more than she was letting on. But what cemented it most was when Jason kissed her. She once told Luke she was looking for comfort and safety and with Jason she didn't feel safe. Even though he told her he was dropping the lawsuit she knew she'd always be waiting for the shoe to drop. When she was kissing Jason she thought of Luke and how he was always there for her come hell or high water. He was one constant in her life she always seemed to be able to count on when things were bad. When they weren't speaking after Rory and Jess's accident she felt horrible, like she didn't have the security of Luke always being there. Maybe she should have realized her feelings then and there. Maybe if she had they wouldn't be in this mess.  
  
Sookie approached Lorelai and placed a gentle hand on her should. "Sweetie, do think we should get started?" she asked.  
  
Lorelai smiled meekly, "Yeah, you're right," she said. "I'll get everyone together and do the speech then we can start the tours."  
  
Sookie smiled a weak smile at Lorelai. She had explained the events of the day and Sookie was shocked that Luke had been the ones to put the breaks on their relationship. She saw his point, but she knew that both Luke and Lorelai were probably miserable and part of her didn't understand why they should have to be. "He said he'd come Lorelai," Sookie said patting her back. "He probably just got held up at the diner."  
  
"Right," Lorelai said half-heartedly. "I'm sure that's it," she said not believing it since most of the town was at the Dragonfly. She made her way around to the small podium they had set up in the foyer. She took her place with Sookie and Michel following her. Lorelai quickly glanced at her note cards and turned on the microphone.  
  
"Hi, everyone," she started. "I'd like to officially welcome you all here on behalf of Sookie, Michel and myself. We are honored that you're all here to share in this great event. Sookie and I have wanted to open our own inn for quite a while and it's nice to be able to share this dream with all of you. There are many people we'd like to thank for their help and support in opening the Dragonfly. First, thanks to all the construction crews we had in here working night and day to restore the Dragonfly to the wonderful inn it was once upon a time. Your hard work shows in every nook and cranny and we appreciate it."  
  
Lorelai scanned the room again and saw all the faces of the people that mattered most to her. Everyone was there, everyone except Luke. "Next we'd like to thank our families for putting up with our craziness during this time. I know it's been stressful but I think once you get the grand tour you'll see it was worth the long days and busy nights." Lorelai looked up to give Rory a meaningful look of gratitude for putting up with her bare cupboards and frantic midnight phone calls. It was at that moment that she saw a moment to the left of Rory and she glanced to see Luke walk into the inn. He had on a suit and light blue tie that made his eyes sparkle, or maybe she was only imagining it.  
  
"And aside from family, we'd like to thank our friends for all their support and encouragement," Lorelai continued. "There is one person in particular who I owe a special thank you. This person, who will remain nameless, has helped me on numerous occasions and if it weren't for this person the Dragonfly would not have been able to open today. So, you know who you are and I'd like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart and thank you for allowing my dream to come true." Lorelai finished without looking directly at Luke as promised. The crowd seemed to look at each other wondering whom Lorelai was talking about. It wasn't until Miss Patty saw Luke standing by the door and she nodded her head to Babette and soon everyone in the room was fairly aware that Lorelai was thanking Luke for something important. A collective ripple of speculation ran through the crowd of people until Lorelai started speaking again.  
  
"I'd also like to thank Sookie and Michel for their help. Without them I wouldn't be here. You are true friends and business partners. So, thank you all for coming enjoy Sookie's fabulous food and tours will start in 10 minutes. Feel free to wander and I officially invite you all to stay at the Dragonfly starting in three weeks because we're booked until then!" Lorelai announced happily. The crowd applauded after Lorelai's announcement and started to disperse throughout the inn.  
  
Rory rushed up to the podium and gave Lorelai a hug. "I'm so proud of you Mom!" she exclaimed.  
  
Lorelai hugged her daughter tight and gave her a kiss on the head. "Thanks sweetie," Lorelai said. "I couldn't have done it without you kid." She gave Rory a smile and a pat on the back.  
  
Lorelai hadn't spoken to her parents since they arrived and as she saw them approach she knew her luck had run out and she was going to have to speak to them.  
  
"Lorelai," Richard said approaching her, Emily trailing behind. "This is a lovely inn. The craftsmanship is remarkable. You should be proud of yourself."  
  
"Thanks Dad," Lorelai replied. She never knew how to respond to her father's praise as it had always come so infrequently.  
  
"The inn is lovely Lorelai," Emily added formally. "So you're really full for the next three weeks?"  
  
"Yes we are Mom," Lorelai replied. "That's terrific news. I'm happy for you. I think I'm going to take a tour now if you don't mind," Emily said to no one in particular walking away from Richard and toward Michel who was animatedly explaining the furnishings in the lobby.  
  
"Yes, I think I'm going to take a look at this horses I've heard so much about. Rory, would you be so kind as to show me?" Richard asked.  
  
"Sure Grandpa," Rory said taking Richards hand and leading him out the front door.  
  
Lorelai scanned the room and saw Sookie with Jackson and Davey. Michel was leading the tour upstairs. It looked like Miss Patty and Babette had gotten their hands on Emily and Lorelai couldn't help but wonder what sordid tales they were telling. Lorelai turned to go to outside and she ran, forcefully, into Luke. Their arms intertwined as they attempted to sidestep each other.  
  
"Sorry," Luke said holding on to her arm.  
  
"Sorry," Lorelai said almost simultaneously.  
  
They stood there for a moment, neither sure of what to say. So much had happened. Things seemed to be on track for them just a few short days ago and then this morning all their hopes were crushed by Luke's refusal to be with her when they both had so much baggage. Luke stuck his hands into his pockets.  
  
"I thought for a minute you weren't coming," Lorelai finally spoke.  
  
"Yeah, I didn't know if I should. I know I said I would, but then I wondered if it would be weird so that's why I'm late. Sorry," he said.  
  
"No, don't be sorry. I mean we're not--it's not like we're together. I get it," Lorelai responded.  
  
"Okay. I just wanted to stop by and show my support. It does look great Lorelai. You did such as nice job. You should feel really proud," he said.  
  
"Thanks. It is pretty nice, isn't it?" Lorelai said with a small grin as she surveyed the inn. "You know I meant what I said in the speech. The Dragonfly wouldn't be here without you Luke."  
  
"Yeah, well it definitely wouldn't be here without you. Everyone has a dream and I happen to think that all yours should come true. I'm just glad I could help." Luke paused for a moment. Lorelai got the feeling he wanted to say something more but he only added, "So I'm gonna take off. Congratulations Lorelai."  
  
"Goodnight Luke," Lorelai said as she watched him walk away. She finally felt it. She finally felt what Luke must have felt for all those years. She felt like she had a hole in her heart as she watched him walk away from her and into the night.  
  
***  
  
TBC A/N: Please don't hate me! It must get worse before it can get better! ( 


	6. Emily knows best

The Dragonfly had been open for a week and already Lorelai was exuberant and exhausted. She knew running her own inn would be challenging and she was handling it fairly well, but she was definitely busy. She hadn't seen Luke since the Dragonfly opened and she had been avoiding the diner. She hadn't intended to avoid Luke, but she always seemed to be alone when she walked past the diner. She just felt like she needed Rory or Sookie to be with her when she once again showed her face at Luke's. Luke. She had thought about him everyday for a week. She thought about their talk and she knew he had some valid points, but everything in her heart was telling her to go back to him and make him see how unreasonable he was being, but she couldn't. So Lorelai threw herself into her work, which wasn't difficult given that the inn had just opened. In fact she was in the throws of organizing a 50th anniversary party when she was startled by yet another unexpected visit from her mother.  
  
"Lorelai," Emily said approaching the desk. Lorelai and Emily had not spoken since the outburst on the night the Dragonfly opened. Her mother had pretended to be happily married that Friday night. She congratulated Lorelai on her accomplishment, but she didn't stay long enough for Lorelai to apologize for her behavior at their earlier meeting.  
  
"Mom," Lorelai said looking up. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Nice to see you too Lorelai," Emily replied testily. "Do you have a moment? I'd like to speak with you."  
  
"It's déjà vu all over again," Lorelai replied. Emily just stared at her blankly. "I mean, yes of course, what can I help you with?"  
  
"I've come over to tell you officially that your father and I are separated," Emily stated factually.  
  
"Well, yes, I believe I pointed that out to you last week Mom."  
  
"Yes, so you did," Emily responded coolly. "I just wanted to let you know that there won't be any more Friday night dinners for a while. I'm sure you're very disappointed."  
  
"No Friday night dinners?" Lorelai replied. "But Mom, Rory looks forward to those dinners. Can't you and Dad pretend to like each other once a week?"  
  
"No, Lorelai, I'm afraid we can't," Emily replied. "Your father and I are having Rory over later today to let her know about the separation together."  
  
"Wait, you're inviting Rory over to tell her about the separation and no Friday night dinners and I get you coming to my workplace to break the news to me?"  
  
"Well you obviously already knew about it so I didn't see the point to breaking it to you easy as you have already made your feelings on the matter abundantly clear."  
  
"Mom, I haven't made my feelings clear at all. I was shocked when I found out that you weren't living at home anymore, which, by the way, Rory knows about too," Lorelai said.  
  
"Yes, well you're a grown woman Lorelai you can handle these things better than Rory."  
  
"I can, really? I'm not so sure about that Mom. Did you know that the fact that you and Dad are separated has really freaked me out? Did you know that Luke I can't date right now because of it?" Lorelai hadn't meant for that tiny bit of information to slip out.  
  
Emily was taken aback by Lorelai's over share regarding her relationship with Luke. She wanted to ask her about it but she feared that bringing it up might make Lorelai close up again. "I'm sorry Lorelai," Emily said. "I should have thought about your feelings in this, but you don't seem to be that involved in our lives anyway. You come to Friday night dinners out of obligation. Have you ever really wanted to come of your own free will?" "No," Lorelai admitted. "I haven't. But Mom, this is a big deal. You and Dad have been together forever. He married you even when Gran asked him not too. That has to count for something."  
  
"It did Lorelai. It helped me to realize that your father does love me, but his behavior lately has been something I can't live with. It started years ago when he was basically forced into retirement. I wanted him to slow down and actually retire. He wanted to start a new company and I stood by him. He started working 12-hour days again and going from meeting to meeting and then he got involved in a partnership with Jason. I never liked Jason, but the way your father treated him was horrible." Emily let out. "Our marriage stopped being a marriage and started revolving solely around your father's work. I was hoping that after 30 years we could spend time together, travel, but your father isn't interested in that Lorelai. He only has one true love and that is his job."  
  
Lorelai stood there for a moment and contemplated what her mother had just said. She had to admit that she was bit surprised by the way her mother had opened up about this. She suddenly felt very sorry for her mother. For as much as Emily was enamored of her rich, cultural circle of parties and events, she really just wanted what Lorelai wanted—to be loved. To be number one in someone's life. She thought of the time she asked Emily what she did when her father was out town. Emily didn't have a good answer so Lorelai bought her a DVD player to help her occupy her time. Lorelai also thought of the breakdown her mother had at the mall. She mentioned something about not feeling like she had a purpose aside from shopping. Lorelai felt sorry for her mother then as well. Suddenly, she did the unthinkable.  
  
"Mom," Lorelai started, "do you think you might be free for lunch tomorrow?"  
  
"Lunch?" Emily asked.  
  
"Yeah, you know that meal that traditionally comes in between breakfast and dinner? We could meet somewhere in town if you're free. I can't leave the Dragonfly for too long but I thought it might be something to do," Lorelai finished.  
  
Emily was shocked by Lorelai's gesture. She was touched that Lorelai was willing to have lunch with her without having to be forced into it. "I'd like that very much," Emily replied with a small smile. "How about if I meet you at Luke's at 1 o'clock?"  
  
"Luke's? You want to go Luke's?" Lorelai asked surprised and also suddenly very nervous.  
  
"Yes, why not? I thought you and Rory ate there almost everyday?" Emily asked. From Lorelai's earlier comment she knew there must be some trouble between Luke and Lorelai and the only way to get to the bottom of it was to go to Luke's for lunch.  
  
"Um, we do go there a lot, but are you sure? Luke's is kind of a burgers and fries place."  
  
"I know Lorelai I have been there before," Emily stated.  
  
"Okay," Lorelai apprehensively agreed. "Luke's tomorrow at 1 p.m. I'll see you there." Lorelai attempted a feeble smile.  
  
Emily beamed like the cat that ate the canary. "Okay then, tomorrow at 1 p.m. Have a nice day Lorelai."  
  
Emily said as she walked out of the inn. Lorelai couldn't believe that she had just invited her mother to lunch, but most of she couldn't believe the lunch would take place at Luke's.  
  
***  
  
It had been a week and one day since Luke last saw Lorelai. Aside from their passionate embrace the thing he remembered most about their talk was the look on her face when he told her they couldn't be together. Her vibrant smile had dissolved into a contorted frown. He had confused her and he didn't really have a good explanation as to why. They were making up after the misunderstanding over Jason. He was holding her in his arms as he had imagined for so many years. Then he felt her hands reach for his face and pull his lips to hers. He was finally kissing her. It was finally his turn. He was finally making something work. It was that last thought that made him realize he wasn't ready. He saw Lorelai as a way to validate himself. He saw her as his salvation. She was on a pedestal that he would never be able to reach. He knew that until he dealt with that he couldn't be with her the way he wanted. So he did what he had to and broke her heart. He saw the sparkle in her eye fade. What he hadn't admitted was that not only did he break her heart, but he broke his too.  
  
Almost as if on cue the diner door opened and Lorelai walked tentatively into the diner. He was elated that she finally decided to come to diner. He couldn't say he blamed her for not coming in, but not seeing her everyday made each day pass more slowly, uneventful. What he wasn't prepared for was the image of Emily Gilmore following her daughter into the diner. He watched them walk to a table by the window and sit. Emily was surveying the menu as Lorelai adjusted her purse on the back of her chair. This was it. He knew he had to go over there.  
  
"Lorelai," he acknowledged her. "Mrs. Gilmore, it's nice to see you again. What can I get you today?" Luke asked a little too cheerfully.  
  
Lorelai stared at him for moment. It had only been a week, but she had almost forgotten how ruggedly handsome he was. She also couldn't believe that he was living up to the bargain they had made to be friends. How could he be so normal after all that had happened?  
  
"I'll have a coffee and the club sandwich, fries and--"Lorelai was cut off by Luke finishing her sentence.  
  
"...a slice of cherry pie for dessert." He smiled at her.  
  
"How did you know she'd want cherry pie?" Emily inquired innocently.  
  
"Oh, um, it's Saturday," Luke answered slightly embarrassed.  
  
"And for some strange reason Saturday equals cherry pie?" Emily pressed.  
  
"Mom," Lorelai said, "its fine. Luke knows I like cherry pie. It's not a big deal."  
  
"Actually Mrs. Gilmore Saturday is the day that the pie I have happens to be cherry. Lorelai usually has a piece so I just thought I'd save her the trouble of asking," Luke explained.  
  
"How nice of you," Emily replied.  
  
"So, what can I get you Mrs. Gilmore?" Luke asked again.  
  
"I'll have the turkey wrap and water with lemon. It's nice to see you've added a few healthier choices to your menu since I was last here Luke," Emily said with a smile.  
  
"Thanks," Luke said. "You might want to tell your daughter that. It'll be right up," he said as he walked away.  
  
"Well, this is nice," Emily said looking at Lorelai.  
  
"Yeah, nice," Lorelai replied intently watching Luke scurry around the diner.  
  
"What's going on with him Lorelai?" Emily questioned as she nodded her head towards Luke.  
  
"What?" Lorelai said she adjusted her gazed from Luke to her mother. "Nothing is going on Mom."  
  
"So you're back to not telling me what's going on in your personal life again," Emily said.  
  
Lorelai sighed. She really didn't want to get into the situation with Luke right now, especially since he was only about 10 feet away from her. "No, Mom, I'm not shutting you out. I just don't want to talk about it right now. It's rude. He's standing right over there," Lorelai whispered to her mother.  
  
"So there is something going on then?" Emily didn't let up.  
  
At that moment Luke brought Emily's water and Lorelai's coffee to their table. "Here ya go one water and one coffee. Your food should be ready in a minute," Luke said.  
  
"Thanks," Lorelai said as Luke walked away.  
  
"Lorelai, is there or isn't there something going with him?" Emily persisted.  
  
"Geez Mom, will you let it go? There is nothing going on with him okay? I thought there might be but there isn't anymore, okay? Will you let it go?" Lorelai said exasperated.  
  
"Fine," Emily replied. They sat in silence for a moment until Luke came by with their lunches. "One club sandwich and one turkey wrap. Can I get you anything else right now?" Luke asked.  
  
"No, I think we're all set, thank you Luke," Emily smiled.  
  
Lorelai put a finger in the air and opened her mouth to ask about her pie, but Luke beat her to the punch.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll bring your pie," Luke send bending his head closer to hers. "I'm warming it up right now."  
  
"Thanks," Lorelai replied as he walked away.  
  
As Lorelai focused her attention on eating her sandwich Emily watched her. She noticed that Lorelai's triple layer club sandwich lacked the crust of the bread.  
  
"Lorelai," Emily asked. "Why did Luke give you a sandwich without the crust?"  
  
"Oh, "Lorelai said as if she just noticed, "Luke knows I don't like crust on my club sandwich. The crust takes up too much room in your stomach and then you get full too fast," Lorelai replied simply.  
  
"But you didn't tell him to cut off the crusts," Emily reasoned.  
  
"Well, I don't have to Mom, he just knows." Lorelai replied.  
  
"He also knows that you have cherry pie on Saturday, that you want your pie with your food and that you like it heated," Emily said.  
  
Luke came by at that moment with Lorelai's warm cherry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. He placed it on the table next to Lorelai.  
  
"Luke," Emily started, "how did you know Lorelai wanted vanilla ice cream with her pie?"  
  
Lorelai and Luke exchanged a glance and Luke replied, "Well she always asks for her pie to be warmed and if I don't bring it with ice cream I always have to go back and get it so I've just learned over the years."  
  
"Hmm, interesting," was Emily's response. She went back to eating her turkey sandwich.  
  
"Do you need anything else?" Luke asked.  
  
"No, we're good, thanks," Lorelai replied as Luke walked back into the kitchen. "What was that about?" Lorelai asked her mother.  
  
"What was what? I simply asked him how he knew you wanted ice cream with your pie. You didn't ask for it so I thought it was odd," Emily replied still eating.  
  
"Mom," Lorelai started in on her, "please, please, please leave this alone. Luke and I are friends and things are already a little weird right now so I don't think we need you involved in any of this okay?"  
  
"Why are things weird Lorelai?"  
  
"Because they just are okay? Let's change the subject. Rory told me about her meeting with you and Dad yesterday. She said you told her that you two were going to counseling to work things out. Is that true?"  
  
"Maybe," Emily responding, slowing starting to clam up.  
  
"Well are you or are you not going to counseling?"  
  
"We are looking into it Lorelai, okay?"  
  
"Okay. I think it might be a good idea," Lorelai replied.  
  
Lorelai didn't want to talk about Luke and Emily didn't want to talk about Richard so they finished their lunch in relative silence. Emily had seen the way that Luke attended to Lorelai and she thought it was very sweet. It was obvious his feelings for her were beyond friendship. She saw it in the way he looked at her when they walked in. She also saw it in the way he could anticipate her every request before she asked. Emily noticed how Lorelai watched him work and she could tell her daughter longed to speak to him. She knew there was something going on that Lorelai didn't want to tell her. Now she just had to get to the bottom of things.  
  
*** TBC 


	7. Tell him

Author's Note: Thanks again for the reviews. This is a two chapters for the price of one kind of day so I hope you enjoy. The L/L interaction is a little sparse, but I promise I will make up for it later. After Tuesday's episode I am kind of on a JJ high! ***  
  
The alarm beckoned Luke from his slumber at 4:30 a.m. on Monday morning. He sighed and slapped the alarm on the bedside table. He never used to need an alarm. He used to have his internal clock set to wake him at 4:25 a.m. every morning. It was only within the last week that he couldn't seem to wake himself up. He realized that he was probably having trouble waking up because he was having trouble sleeping. Ever since he had put the breaks on his relationship with Lorelai his mind seemed to race on warp speed all day and all night. He sat up in bed and glanced at the clock. 4:31 a.m. The first minute of another day he would spend thinking about Lorelai. He forced himself up and out of bed and got ready for another day the diner. It was another day when Lorelai would probably avoid him, and the diner, like Bubonic plague.  
  
Luke has been pleasantly surprised when Lorelai had come to the diner on Saturday, even if she had brought reinforcements in the form of Emily. He had strange feeling that Emily was sizing him up the entire time she was there. Her questions especially threw him. Why did he get Lorelai pie? Why was he heating it up? Why did he get her ice cream when she hadn't asked? To Luke all these questions were kind of like, 'why is the sky blue?' Because it just is. It always had been it always will be. Lorelai will always like cherry pie, heated with ice cream.  
  
He was secretly hoping that this morning might be the day that Lorelai decided to come to the diner alone. As he got the diner ready to open he could almost see her now sitting at the counter giving him a hard time about something. He could almost picture him throwing her out for using her cell phone or for coming behind the counter as she so frequently did. He could almost picture it, yet it was just a specter in his mind of how things used to be. Luke pulled the stools off the counter and sighed. Had he made a mistake after all?  
  
Hours later Luke looked up as the bell above the door jingled. He smiled when he saw a familiar face come through the door.  
  
"Hey Luke," she said.  
  
"Rory," Luke said, "it's good to see you. So you're back from Yale for the summer?"  
  
"Yep, I just got home yesterday," she said sitting in her mother's favorite stool. "I can't believe a whole year has gone by."  
  
"Well that's great. It'll be nice to have to see you around more often this summer," Luke said genuinely. "What can I get you?" "I'll have pancakes, a side of bacon and a jelly donut," Rory smiled.  
  
"I see the time away from your mother has not changed your appetite," Luke said wryly.  
  
"Nope," Rory smiled.  
  
"Speaking of your mom" Luke ventured, "is she joining you this morning?"  
  
Rory was a little surprised Luke didn't dance around the topic of her mom a little more. Lorelai had filled her in on most of what happened between her and Luke. Of course in usual Lorelai fashion, Rory got the feeling there was something her mom wasn't telling her. She mentioned that Luke had seen her kiss Jason, that she had run after him to make things right and that they decided to just be friends until they figured things out. Rory accepted the explanation, but she knew full well her mom was holding something back. That was evident by the fact that she hadn't gone to Luke's for a solid week until Emily had forced her there on Saturday.  
  
"No," Rory finally replied. "Sorry Luke. I think she has a lot of Dragonfly stuff going on," Rory said hesitantly making an excuse for Lorelai.  
  
It was subtle, but Rory saw Luke's face fall slightly. He had obviously hoped that Lorelai would be coming in. Rory felt awful having to be the one to crush his hopes.  
  
"It's okay, I know she's been busy with the inn lately," Luke said shaking off the feeling of disappointment that was creeping up inside him. "So, how is everything with you? Was your first year of college what you thought it would be?"  
  
"Pretty much," Rory responded. "It was a lot of work and living with Paris was interesting to say the least, but it was fun."  
  
"That's great. Well we're glad to have to back around here. Your food will be right out," Luke said walking into the back. Once he had the cleared Rory's view Luke took a deep breath and recomposed himself. He didn't know when he would ever see Lorelai alone again and it was all his fault. ***  
  
Lorelai sat in the kitchen of the Dragonfly and sipped her coffee. She would never tell Sookie but her coffee just didn't have that certain something that Luke's did. She wasn't sure if it was the taste or the person pouring it that made the difference. Lately she had come to think it had more to do with the latter.   
  
Lorelai had finally set foot in Luke's again, albeit with her mother in tow. Lorelai had the nagging suspicion that Emily had chosen Luke's as part of her information-gather mission. Lorelai knew she had shared too much when she mentioned her relationship with Luke in front of her mother. It worried her that she had taken such an interest. Even though Emily had forced her to go into Luke's a small part of her truly wanted to. When she wasn't thinking about the inn Lorelai had thought about nothing but Luke for the last week. While he was right that she had just broken up with Jason, Lorelai knew in her heart that she was over him. She knew that she was never really in love with him and that made the break-up all the easier. The Dragonfly had opened and although it was a lot of work it was manageable and things had been going well. There was still the lingering problem of her parent's marriage, but it wasn't her problem, it was theirs.   
  
That really only left two problems--Luke's divorce and Lorelai's hesitancy to commit to a full-blown relationship. Luke's divorce and horrible marriage were something that Lorelai couldn't help, but she had thought about her feelings on committing to Luke. It all boiled down to the fact that they were scared. They were scared of hurting each other. Lorelai had failed at so many relationships because of her fear. It was almost as if she couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that someone could love her so unconditionally when she hadn't really done anything to deserve it. She always thought it was a product of her upbringing. Her parents loved her, but they rarely said it aloud. In fact, the few times they did it was because she had done something worthy of their love like gotten all A's. Lorelai mulled this over for a moment and then thought, "Paging Dr. Phil!"   
  
In terms of relationships Lorelai always thought of Luke as an oak tree. It was an odd analogy but he always seemed to be there shielding her from the wind and rain, shadowing her from too much sun and, while growing, never really outwardly changing enough to notice. Lorelai always thought of herself as the baby bird too afraid to fly out of the nest or wander far from the tree. The tree -- Luke -- was her security, her safety zone. When this thought dawned on her Lorelai suddenly realized how unafraid she actually was. She always thought of Luke as being there for her. Over the past week he was the one person she wanted to go to talk about the inn, her parents, hell, even her relationship with him. Luke was not only her best friend, but her confidant and her match.  
  
Lorelai knew she couldn't help Luke work through his issues with his divorce, but she could tell him that she would wait for him to sort things out no matter how long it took. She put down her coffee mug and grabbed her keys. Lorelai told Sookie she was going to Luke's and sped out of the Dragonfly driveway as fast as she could. *** Lorelai hopped out of her Jeep and ran into the diner. It was late afternoon and there were few people in the diner.   
  
"Luke," Lorelai yelled. "Luke?"  
  
"Oh, hey Lorelai," Lane smiled as she emerged from the kitchen. "Luke isn't here."  
  
"Hi Lane," Lorelai replied breathless. "Is he upstairs?"  
  
"No, he went out," Lane replied delivering an order. "I think he said something about getting more hamburger."  
  
Lorelai's face fell. "Oh," she replied. "Did he happen to mention when he was coming back?"  
  
"No, sorry," Lane said. "He shouldn't be gone long though if you want to wait." "No, that's okay," Lorelai replied losing her nerve.  
  
"Do you want me to tell him you stopped by?" Lane asked.   
  
"Yeah, tell him," Lorelai thought, "tell him—ya know what? Never mind. I'll see him when he gets back." Lorelai changed her mind. It would have to wait. She was beginning to understand how Luke must have felt all those years with missed opportunities and lost chances to tell her how he felt and she didn't like it one bit.  
  
Lorelai walked back to her Jeep and pulled out her cell phone to call Rory when she noticed she had a voice mail. 'How did I miss a call?' she wondered. She quickly dialed the number and punched in her code.  
  
"You have one new voicemail message," the voice said.  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Lorelai said willing the voice to speed it up.  
  
"Lorelai," Jason's voice said. "It's Jason. I know that we haven't seen each other since I came to the inn and I'm still not exactly sure what happened there," he rambled. "Look I'm going out of town for a few days and I wanted to talk to you before I left. I definitely got the feeling that you weren't so interested in us getting back together," he laughed bitterly. "But, I'd still like to talk to you and clear some things up so give me call. Bye." Lorelai hit the end button on her phone and threw it into her purse. She didn't want to talk to Jason right now. She knew she had to explain herself. She hadn't seen him since she abruptly ran away from him at the inn, but Jason wasn't who she needed to see right now, it was Luke. ***  
  
TBC 


	8. Family issues

Lorelai was about to go back to the Dragonfly when her phone rang once again. She sighed as she rifled through her bag to find her phone. She was hoping against hope that it wasn't just Jason again. She wasn't in the mood to deal with him at the moment. She finally placed her hand on the phone and flipped it open.  
  
"Hello?" Lorelai said.  
  
"Lorelai, hello," said the voice.  
  
"Dad, hi," Lorelai replied surprised. Her father rarely called her and she was always taken aback when he did.  
  
"Hello," Richard paused for a moment. "I was wondering if you knew where I might find your mother."  
  
"You lost Mom?" Saying that phrase made Lorelai realize it definitely had more than one meaning given the current state of her parent's marriage. "I mean, I thought she was staying at the Hartford Inn?"  
  
"I know, but she doesn't seem to be there. Or maybe she is there but she isn't taking my calls," Richard responded sounding slightly frantic.  
  
"Um, I don't know Dad. I had lunch with Mom on Saturday, but I haven't spoken to her since then," Lorelai said as she started to drive back to the Dragonfly. "Did you need her for something?"  
  
"Yes, I had actually hoped to speak with her about something. If you happen to see her please tell her to return my calls," Richard stated.  
  
"Okay, I will, but I really doubt I'll see her anytime soon Dad. She's probably just at some DAR function or something. I'm sure she isn't avoiding you," Lorelai replied. "Is everything okay with you?" Lorelai asked. "I mean, without Mom being around I was wondering if--"  
  
"It's fine, everything is fine Lorelai," Richard cut her off. "Well thank you for your time. Goodbye," Richard said abruptly.  
  
"Okay, bye," Lorelai replied. It was obvious that the topic of her parent's marriage was strictly off limits with her mother and now her father as well. Lorelai pulled her Jeep into the Dragonfly drive and noticed a familiar car in the drive. She got out and quickly made her way into the Dragonfly. Michel was talking to a customer at the desk and Lorelai made her way into the kitchen. Sure enough perched on a stool talking to Sookie she found her mother.  
  
"Sookie, this stew is absolutely terrific," Emily raved as she placed a spoon back into her bowl. "There's something in here I can't quite put my finger on. Is it onion?"  
  
"No, actually it's cloves," Sookie said excitedly. Neither Sookie nor Emily noticed Lorelai's entrance.  
  
"Hi Mom," Lorelai finally said. "What brings you here?"  
  
"Lorelai, hello," Emily replied. "I had such a nice time here last week that I thought I would drop by to see if you'd like to have lunch again?"  
  
"It looks like Sookie has already fed you lunch Mom," Lorelai said testily.  
  
"Oh, I was just taste testing her stew." Emily replied, turning her attention to Sookie. "Sookie you really should think about catering from here. I know for a fact that you'd be making loads of money with food as good as this."  
  
Sookie beamed. She knew Lorelai had issues with her mom, but Emily was always so nice to Sookie when she came to Stars Hollow. She always felt bad thinking she was taking Emily's side over Lorelai's.  
  
"So, how was Luke? Did you find him?" Sookie asked Lorelai, changing the subject.  
  
"Luke?" Emily inquired. "You were at Luke's?"  
  
Lorelai shot Sookie a look for bringing up Luke in front of her mother. "He wasn't there actually," Lorelai said. "I'll have to see him later."  
  
"Why were you going to see Luke?" Emily asked.  
  
"Just to get some coffee," Lorelai replied.  
  
"Nonsense," Emily retorted standing from her stool. "Sookie has perfectly good coffee right here. You expect me to believe you had to go all the way to Luke's for coffee?"  
  
"No, I don't know," Lorelai struggled with a reply. Why was her mother so interested in her relationship with Luke anyway? "Anyway, he wasn't there so I didn't see him. However I did get a call from Dad," Lorelai said pointedly. "He was wondering if I knew where you were. It seems you're not returning his phone calls?"  
  
Emily flushed slightly at this statement. "He called twice, so what?" Emily responded trying to sound unfazed. "We're separated. Just because your father used to be able to reach me any time he felt like it then doesn't mean he can now."  
  
Sookie suddenly got very uncomfortable with the turn the conversation was taking and she decided to excuse herself unnoticed.  
  
"So you're punishing Dad now?" Lorelai asked. "He sounded kind of upset Mom."  
  
"Oh Lorelai, your father is a grown man he doesn't need to talk to me for every little problem. In fact, lately he doesn't feel the need to talk to me about anything," Emily added, hurt. After a moment she added, "so are you available for lunch?'  
  
Lorelai sighed and scratched her forehead. She didn't understand her mother. It seemed like her father was trying to communicate with her, maybe work out their problems, but she was ignoring him.  
  
"No, Mom," Lorelai replied. "I can't go out for lunch today. I already left this morning and Michel hates being left at the desk for too long."  
  
"Yes, you did leave this morning to go speak to Luke, right?"  
  
"Mom, we've been through this," Lorelai sighed, getting agitated again. "I went to Luke's for coffee and he wasn't there."  
  
"I wish you'd share a little more with Lorelai. I'm your mother and I know we haven't been close, but I'd like to be. I try to get to know more about you, more about your life and you just shut me out," Emily stated, more factually than accusatory.  
  
"What do you want from me Mom? Where do you think I learned to be so evasive? How many times have I asked about you and Dad in the last two weeks?" Lorelai responded. "How many straight answers have I received to these questions? You want me to open up but you don't tell me anything."  
  
Emily looked at Lorelai, slightly shocked by her accusation. She thought for a moment and realized that her daughter was right. Emily hadn't wanted to share anything about her marriage with Lorelai, for the most part because she wasn't ready to talk about it, but then, maybe Lorelai wasn't ready to talk about Luke yet either.  
  
"You're right Lorelai," Emily replied quietly. "I haven't shared anything with you and there really isn't any reason you should share anything with me." Emily started to walk away, but turned her head and added, "You know I sometimes wish that you and I could talk like you and Rory do, but I know that's probably too much to hope for."  
  
Lorelai rolled her eyes inwardly. She knew her mother had always envied the relationship that Lorelai had with Rory. Lorelai always thought she could relate to Rory and that's why things were always so easy for them. Emily could never relate to Lorelai. Half the time she didn't understand what Lorelai was talking about. But, in classic Emily fashion, she had managed to make Lorelai feel incredibly guilty. She felt guilty that her mother was living out of a suitcase at an inn. She felt guilty that her mother couldn't talk to her socialite friends about her marriage because then it would just become fodder for the gossip hounds. Most of all she felt guilty that her mother seemed to be reaching out to her for a friend and Lorelai was turning her away.  
  
"Mom, wait," Lorelai sighed. "I can't go to lunch, but would you like to come have dinner tonight? Rory is home for the summer so she'll be there too," Lorelai added, silently praying that Rory could be the buffer between them for the evening.  
  
Emily smiled, "I'd love too. Thank you Lorelai."  
  
"Okay, well we'll probably hit Al's around 6 p.m."  
  
"Al's? What about Luke's?"  
  
"Mom we just had Luke's and today is an Al's kind of day, okay?" Lorelai stated warningly.  
  
"Okay, I will meet you at your house around 6 p.m. I do appreciate the invitation Lorelai," Emily said appreciatively.  
  
"You're welcome," Lorelai said. "We'll see you then."  
  
*** "Mom, are you almost ready?" Rory called up the stairs? "Grandma and I are waiting and we're hungry!"  
  
"I'm coming hun, hold on one second," Lorelai yelled down.  
  
Emily and Rory sat on the couch waiting for Lorelai to join them. Rory felt a little odd about the dinner. She loved seeing her Grandma, but Rory felt like she didn't know what to say after finding out her grandparents were separated.  
  
"Okay, okay," Lorelai said racing down the stairs. "I'm ready we can go." Lorelai adjusted her shoe as Emily and Rory stood to walk to the door.  
  
"I still don't see why you had to change. You looked perfectly acceptable in your work outfit," Emily stated.  
  
"Yes, but I didn't feel comfortable in it," Lorelai reasoned.  
  
The three Gilmore girls set off on their way to Al's. Lorelai wasn't really sure if Emily would enjoy the Chinese cuisine, but if she could make the best of Luke's she wouldn't have a problem with this.  
  
Dinner started with the idle chit-chat of Rory's freshman year. Emily was appalled that Lorelai let her go to Florida and consort with what she called, "teenage riff-raff." Both Rory and Lorelai found Emily's reaction very amusing. Upon reassuring Emily that Rory was not scarred for life by spring break, the topic of conversation turned to the town itself.  
  
"You know Lorelai, I have to admit that when I first heard of Stars Hollow I imagined a town full of yokels in the middle of nowhere," Emily said. "But the more time I spend here I realize just how quaint it is. Everyone knows each other, it's quiet and it seems very relaxing."  
  
"Well we like it," Lorelai said. "Plus you can't beat the fact that they have festivals just about twice a month."  
  
"Yeah but the Firelight Festival is the best," Rory added. "All that food!"  
  
"And Founder's Day Punch," Lorelai added. "You can't forget Founder's Day Punch!"  
  
"What's Founder's Day Punch?" Emily asked.  
  
"Remember the Fun Flask at the Yale/Harvard game?" Lorelai asked.  
  
Emily rolled her eyes as she remembered Lorelai's reaction to her parents bringing a flask to the football game. "Yes," Emily responded dryly.  
  
"Well it's about 10 times better than that," Lorelai smiled.  
  
They talked a bit more about the town while they finished their dinner and then they started to walk back to the car.  
  
"Oh, an old-fashion ice cream parlor," Emily stated as she spied Taylor's ice cream shop in the distance. "We used to have one of those when I was growing up."  
  
"Did you want some ice cream, Mom?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"Yeah, we can always go for ice cream Grandma," Rory added.  
  
"Well if you want ice cream I guess I could have some," Emily didn't agree, but she didn't disagree either.  
  
"Okay, let's go," Lorelai said turning toward Taylor's.  
  
They walked into the ice cream parlor and ordered. They took a seat at the small ice cream table that Taylor had set up around the interior of the shop. Emily's view, thanks to Taylor's window, was the interior of Luke's.  
  
"Is that Luke's diner?" Emily asked eating her vanilla ice cream.  
  
"Yeah," Lorelai replied. "We thought Luke was going to have a heart attack when Taylor put that window in." Lorelai laughed remembering Luke's disgust at the thought of Taylor's old fashioned ice cream parlor.  
  
"It does seem like you're on display. I certainly wouldn't want a table near that window," Emily said.  
  
"You should tell Luke that," Rory said. "He'd be your biggest fan."  
  
Emily smiled and continued to peer through the window. Although there was glare she could clearly see Rory's friend Lane cleaning off a table and Luke scribbling down an order on his pad. Luke turned to go behind the counter when he caught a glimpse of Lorelai's profile through the window. He didn't realize it, but he was staring at her quite intently before he shook it off and went back to work. He looked to make sure no one in the diner had seen his lapse of consciousness. Luckily, it was slowing down for the night and no one seemed to be any wiser. Unfortunately for Luke, Emily had seen the entire episode.  
  
"You have an admirer," Emily said coyly to Lorelai as she nudged her arm.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Lorelai asked as she finished her ice cream cone.  
  
"I'm talking about Luke. He was staring at you through the window just now," Emily explained.  
  
"I'm sure he wasn't staring at me through the window Mom," Lorelai flushed slightly as she spoke. While part of her didn't want her mother to know about Luke the other part was joyous that Emily saw him looking at her. It meant that he hadn't totally forgotten about all that had happened.  
  
"Yes, he was," Emily said firmly. "Why don't you go over and talk to him? He was out when you went over this morning," Emily prodded.  
  
"You went to Luke's this morning?" Rory asked her mother, surprised.  
  
"Um, yeah," Lorelai admitted. "I needed coffee and Sookie was out," Lorelai lied.  
  
"Oh," Rory said. It was clear her Lorelai wasn't planning on sharing that fact with her. "You should go talk to him Mom. He asked if you were going to be in this morning."  
  
"Really?" Emily said, half questioning and half stating. "I'm sure Rory can get me back to my car safely Lorelai. Why don't you go over there?"  
  
"Yeah, you should," Rory joined in the prodding.  
  
Why was Emily so insistent about this? Lorelai shrugged it off. Maybe Emily felt like meddling because she was bored. Without her father's parties to plan she probably didn't have much going on. Maybe she should go over to Luke's. She had planned on seeing him earlier, why was it any different now?  
  
"Okay," Lorelai replied. "I'll see you later Mom and I'll see you at home kiddo," Lorelai said as she stood up and pushed in her chair. She took a deep breath and walked next door to see Luke.  
  
*** TBC 


	9. On the right track

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Sorry to leave you hanging! In case I haven't mentioned it in a while, I still don't own any of the characters, etc.  
  
Lorelai took a deep breath and pushed open the door of Luke's Diner. This wasn't going to be easy but Lorelai knew it had to be done. She walked into the diner and surveyed the crowd. There weren't many people in the diner, which might be nice because she could talk to Luke. Of course since there weren't too many people in the diner there might be more pressure to talk to Luke. Lorelai smiled with relief when she saw Lane emerge from behind the curtain carrying a plate of food. Lorelai pulled out a chair and threw her purse on the table as she sat.  
  
"Hi Lorelai," Lane said cheerfully.  
  
"Hey Lane," Lorelai smiled. "How's it going? Are you and the band surviving in the Real World house?"  
  
"Oh yeah," Lane said excitedly. "We finally saved enough to buy a refrigerator!"  
  
"Well that's great," Lorelai said as she spied Luke emerge from the kitchen. "Hey Lane, you know if you ever need anything I'm not that far away okay?" Lorelai said letting her motherly instincts kick in.  
  
"Thanks Lorelai, I know," Lane smiled and went back into the kitchen.  
  
Luke saw Lorelai sitting alone and a wave of relief washed over him. She had finally come back. 'Maybe things will finally go back to normal around here,' he thought. Luke took a deep breath, summoned his courage and walked over to her table.  
  
"Lorelai, hi," he said. 'That went well,' he thought.  
  
"Luke, hi," Lorelai replied hesitantly. Now that she was there she wasn't quite sure what to say or do.  
  
Luke took the pad of paper he always carried out of his back pocket. He held the pad and pencil unsteadily in his hands and hoped that Lorelai wouldn't notice. "So, can I get you anything?" he finally asked.  
  
"Just coffee," Lorelai replied. She wanted to say more. She was willing herself to tell him that she would wait for him to sort out his feelings. She wanted to tell him that she had done nothing but think about him for over a week. But in the end she didn't.  
  
Luke lingered by her table. There was no reason to write down coffee on his paper. The only reason he bothered was because it allowed him to stay near to her for a moment longer. It had been so long since he'd seen her. He felt as if he had been lost in the desert for a week with no water and no hope. He looked at Lorelai and drank in her presence. Why did he have to be rational? Why did he feel the overwhelming need to deal with the issues he had over his divorce. Why couldn't he just move on like normal people? He knew deep down it was because he had already waited so long for Lorelai that he couldn't jeopardize what future they might one day have together. He just wasn't so sure that she'd wait for him.  
  
Luke finally walked behind the counter to get Lorelai's coffee. Her eyes followed him once again. His back was turned and she took in his from. The way his hands maneuvered. The hands that had once held Lorelai close and let her know everything was going to be okay. How she longed to feel his hands and his arms and his lips reassure her that everything would be okay again.  
  
Luke turned around to bring her coffee and Lorelai quickly averted her gaze. He placed the cup in front of her. "So, you haven't been around much lately," he said tentatively.  
  
"Yeah, I know," Lorelai admitted. "The Dragonfly has been crazy," she lied to him.  
  
"Oh, okay," Luke didn't know if he actually believed her. He knew the pressures of starting a business, but he also felt her avoidance of the diner had a lot more to do with him than she was letting on. "I thought maybe you were avoiding me," Luke suggested warily. He wasn't sure if he should push the issue, but it was too late now.  
  
Lorelai glanced up at him. His face looked tentative. She wasn't sure if it was because he knew that she was avoiding him or if he was afraid she would confirm his suspicion. "Maybe I have been," Lorelai said.  
  
"I kinda figured that," Luke said. "Lorelai I don't want things to be weird with us," Luke said in a hushed tone.  
  
"Well maybe you should have thought about that before," Lorelai glanced around to be sure no one was looking at them, "you kissed me."  
  
"I'm sorry okay? I can't buy it back," Luke said. "But I realized I'm not ready for this and neither are you."  
  
"That's where you're wrong buddy," Lorelai was getting louder and slightly angrier. "I was ready. I was ready to be with you, but you were the one who rejected me so you don't get to be hurt when I don't come see you everyday," Lorelai spat. Lorelai wondered why all of a sudden she was talking about her feelings for Luke in the past tense. The few customers in the diner were staring at Luke and Lorelai as if intrigued by the soap opera drama occurring.  
  
"Finish your meals," Luke ordered as he gently pulled Lorelai by the arm into the kitchen. Once they were alone in the kitchen he looked her in the eye. "What the hell was that?"  
  
"A statement of fact Luke," Lorelai retorted. "You were the one who rejected me so don't make me feel guilty because I don't want to see you everyday. Do you have any idea how humiliating it is?"  
  
"Lorelai," Luke said softening. "I never meant to hurt or humiliate you. I just want things to go back to how they were."  
  
"I don't know if they can Luke. Why did you even start this? You're the one who asked me to dance. You're the one who asked me on a date. Why did you bother if you weren't ready?" Lorelai questioned him.  
  
"I thought I was ready. I thought you were single and I was single. I was lonely," Luke admitted sheepishly.  
  
"You were lonely?" Lorelai sadly asked.  
  
"Yes, okay? I was lonely and I thought about you and me together and then I wasn't so lonely," Luke hung his head and leaned against the wall.  
  
"Luke," Lorelai said as she stepped closer to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry Lorelai. I didn't mean to hurt you," Luke said, still avoiding her eyes.  
  
Lorelai had to blink back the tears that were welling up in her eyes. Why did it seem she was always crying around Luke? Maybe it was a sign she was completely comfortable with him and her emotions around him, but she felt like a basket case. She realized that he was hurting just as much as she was and she made a decision.  
  
"I'm fine Luke," Lorelai said. She put her fingers under his chin and forced him to look at her. "I'm okay and you're okay and we'll be okay." She paused before changing the subject slightly. "Did you know my mother has taken it upon herself to infiltrate my life? If I can handle that then I think this should be a piece of cake." She moved her fingers away from his face. "And you know how much I love cake," she added with a small smile.  
  
Luke thought he saw a flicker of that sparkle that used to be in her eyes before he crushed it. He shifted his weight and stood up straight as Lorelai backed away. They were no longer in each other's personal space. Maybe things were getting back to normal.  
  
"So is that why your Mom was here on Saturday? She's infiltrating your life?" Luke asked as they made their way back out into the diner.  
  
"Oh, you have no idea. I think I've become her latest pet project since she left my Dad. She seems to like Stars Hollow a little too much for my liking. I had dinner with her and Rory tonight," Lorelai informed him.  
  
"Yeah I thought I saw you two with her at Taylor's," Luke admitted.  
  
Lorelai wanted to ask him if her mother was right. She wanted to ask him if he was staring at her through the diner window, but things were semi- normal and she didn't want to rock the boat.  
  
Luke wiped down the counter as he talked to Lorelai. "So what was up with the 20 questions the other day anyway?" Luke asked thinking back to what he liked to think of as Emily's Inquisition.  
  
"I've tried to tell you my mother is strange. She was gathering information but I haven't determined for what sinister purpose just yet," Lorelai giggled.  
  
"Does she want to freeze the entire city of Gotham?" Luke asked.  
  
"No, at this point I see her dressed up in that green jumpsuit with the question marks all over it. She's the Riddler if I ever knew one," Lorelai quickly responded.  
  
"As long as she's not running around with a giant acid-induced smile on her face I think you'll be okay," Luke wittily replied.  
  
"Yeah, I think I will," Lorelai replied with a small grin. Her response was a commentary not only on the situation with her mother, but also on the situation with Luke. Just like that Luke knew it was going to be okay. Definitely not perfect, but somewhat normal and most definitely tolerable.  
  
Lorelai stayed and finished two cups of coffee before heading home. Things were kind of back to normal. They were still tentative with each other, but Lorelai had a feeling they might be okay after all. It might hurt them both like hell, but at least they were speaking.  
  
TBC 


	10. One if by land, two if by sea

Author's Note: Still don't own the characters. Thanks for the reviews. I love feedback! I think we're coming to the home stretch.  
  
Weeks past, May turned to June and June to July. Things seemed to finally go back to normal. Lorelai would come in for coffee, Luke would give her a hard time and no one was any wiser to the fact that Luke and Lorelai had almost become Luke and Lorelai in the strictest sense. It was only on the inside that Lorelai ached for him. It was only on the inside that Luke yearned for her. Outwardly each appeared cool, calm and collected.  
  
Luke had realized a week ago that he was most definitely over his hasty marriage to Nicole. She had the nerve to send him an engagement announcement. It was her message to him that she had moved on. Either that or it was her message to him that she no longer needed the alimony checks he had so dutifully sent for three months. He knew it was out of guilt that he did it. She had cheated on him, but he felt like he owed her for not being available to her emotionally or otherwise during the course of their marriage.  
  
When he opened the announcement he had a quick pang of sadness, but when he thought, really thought about it, it wasn't sadness over her engagement. It wasn't sadness over the fact that she had moved on with the Sock Man. It was that he had the opportunity to move on with Lorelai and he didn't take it. He wanted to be sure. He wanted to safeguard his life once again closing off his feelings so he wouldn't get hurt. He had come to the conclusion that he'd never get hurt because he'd never let anyone get close enough to hurt him since Rachel. That's really what scared him the most about Lorelai. He knew, before he ever kissed her, that she was already such a huge part of him that he would be destroyed if she rejected him. He was tired of feeling this way. He wished he could talk to Lorelai about his feelings again, but things were finally back to normal. She was finally coming into the diner every day teasing him, mocking him, joking with him. Part of him just couldn't jeopardize that. So he went on as before, secretly wanting to be with her from afar.  
  
Lorelai fanned herself with a Dragonfly Inn envelope. July was usually hot, but today seemed unusually stifling. She shifted on her feet uncomfortably waiting on the porch of the inn. She glanced at her watch and knew her mother would be pulling up any second. Over the past four weeks lunch had become a weekly ritual with her mother. Every Wednesday Emily would pull into the Dragonfly at 1 p.m. Lorelai and Emily would then go to Luke's for lunch. Luke's. It was always Luke's. Lorelai still hadn't figured out what her mother was up to. She couldn't convince her she loved diner food that much. She thought she must still be trying to figure out what was going on between Lorelai and Luke. Lorelai knew that her mother would never get to bottom of it because there was, in fact, nothing going with Luke anymore. They had gone back to being friends again. It was weird at first because Lorelai could still feel the sensation of his hands on her waist and his lips on hers, but slowly that memory faded.  
  
At 12:59 p.m. exactly Emily pulled up to the Dragonfly. Before she could get out of the car Lorelai was jumping in.  
  
"My goodness Lorelai, where's the fire?" Emily asked.  
  
"Don't joke about that," Lorelai said making a face. "It's like 800 degrees out and I didn't want your leather interior to heat up while we were inside."  
  
"Maybe you wouldn't have been so hot if you'd have stayed inside," Emily said as she pulled out of the drive.  
  
Lorelai ignored her. "Let me guess, Luke's?" Lorelai said.  
  
"Of course," Emily said with a gleam in her eye. Emily still hadn't gotten to the bottom of the Luke and Lorelai situation, but she knew she was slowly wearing her daughter down. She could also tell there was something going on between them even if neither wanted to admit it.  
  
"How's Rory? Is she joining us today?" Emily asked. Normally Rory stopped by the diner to meet them for lunch.  
  
"She's great. Actually Rory is in California with Christopher. He had a business trip planned and asked Rory if she'd like to go. She'll be back tomorrow," Lorelai said as they pulled up to Luke's.  
  
"California? Why didn't you tell me? Well maybe she can join us next week," Emily replied with a smile.  
  
Lorelai rolled her eyes. If she had known inviting her mother to lunch would have turned into a weekly affair she never would have done it. They walked into the diner and sat at what was quickly becoming "their" table.  
  
"Hey Lorelai, Mrs. Gilmore," Luke said as they sat down.  
  
"Luke, please, I've told you call me Emily," Emily said.  
  
"Sorry, Emily it is," he said. Even though Lorelai and Emily had been coming in for lunch once a week it still seemed odd to see them in Stars Hollow together. Luke gave Lorelai a lot of credit for being so supportive while her parents were separated. He knew it killed her to be so friendly with Emily, but it just reinforced how terrific she truly was.  
  
"Lorelai, the usual?" Luke asked.  
  
"Of course," Lorelai smiled gleefully.  
  
"And for you Emily?" he asked.  
  
"Oh I don't know. I'll have whatever Lorelai is having," Emily replied.  
  
Both Luke and Lorelai's eyes widened and they stared at Emily. She had to laugh because their expressions mirrored each other exactly.  
  
"What? Don't look so stunned," Emily said.  
  
"You do know that Wednesday is cheeseburger, onion rings and curly fries day, right?" Luke asked incredulously.  
  
Emily looked slightly aghast at the thought of it and it was clear she didn't know Lorelai's usual Wednesday order. "You know what I think I'll just have the tuna salad sandwich. Thank you Luke," Emily replied.  
  
Both Luke and Lorelai laughed slightly as Luke walked into the kitchen to place their order.  
  
"You really thought you could handle my lunch special?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"Obviously not," Emily replied. "But I thought I would try to see how you stomach it." Emily replied.  
  
Lorelai noted that her mother was in a particularly good mood today. It scared her. Emily was usually only in a very good mood when Lorelai wasn't.  
  
"So Mom, how are things with Dad? Have you started counseling?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"No, Lorelai, we haven't. I haven't spoken to your father in quite a while actually," Emily responded.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Oh Lorelai for the last week he has left me three messages a day. Three a day, can you believe that? It's getting to be too much. I'm getting used to living without him around and I don't want to get sucked back in to relying on him all the time," Emily said surprisingly pleasantly.  
  
"Mom! What if Dad wants to make up? What if he's been trying to tell you something important like he loves you, he quit his job and he wants you back?" Lorelai couldn't believe her mother.  
  
"He doesn't. All his messages say are 'call me.' Well, I will call him when I get the chance," Emily said. Suddenly her eyes lit up. Lorelai barely noticed before she saw Luke coming over with their food.  
  
"Oh Lorelai, I meant to tell you that I ran into Jason the other day," Emily said as Luke came upon the table.  
  
"Oh, that's nice," Lorelai said not encouraging the topic so Luke wouldn't hear.  
  
"Jason said he was so sorry about how things had ended, not only with your father, but with you as well," Emily said Luke slowly lowered the plates in front of them.  
  
"Oh, well, I'm not sorry about how it ended Mom. Jason and I weren't going to work," Lorelai said with emphasis hoping not to upset Luke.  
  
"Well he said he would love to see you sometime. I told him the inn was doing very well and he said he might stop by to see it completely up and running," Emily said with a repressed smile.  
  
"So do you need anything else?" Luke interrupted.  
  
"No, I think I'm fine Luke. How about you Lorelai?" Emily said.  
  
"I'm great, thanks," Lorelai said giving Luke an apologetic look. Luke nodded as if he understood she was apologizing for Emily's comments and he returned to the kitchen.  
  
"What was that about? How could you say that in front of Luke?" Lorelai demanded.  
  
Emily seemed more interested in dissecting her sandwich than talking to Lorelai. "Mom," Lorelai pressed. "What were you thinking?"  
  
Emily took a bite of her sandwich. "What difference does it make Lorelai? I thought you and Luke were just friends?"  
  
"So is that what this is, some sort of psychological experiment to see if I'm telling you the truth about me and Luke?" Lorelai half-exclaimed.  
  
"No, Lorelai," Emily said. "I did run into Jason and he did ask about you. I was simply passing on the message."  
  
"Well aren't you a regular little Paul Revere," Lorelai said as she grumpily took a bite from her burger. She felt horrible that Luke had heard her mother going on about Jason. Emily didn't even like Jason, but she'd use him to get information out of Lorelai if she had to. Lorelai was sure that her protests served only to confirm her mother's suspicions about her feelings for Luke.  
  
Lorelai glanced behind her to see if Luke had emerged from the kitchen again. He hadn't. She felt awful about her mother's comments. Jason was already a sore topic between Luke and Lorelai. She felt awful that her mother's sadistic quest for the truth had possibly hurt Luke.  
  
Once again, Emily and Lorelai finished lunch in silence. It had almost become a habit. Lorelai asked her Emily to go to the car while she paid the bill. She walked up to the register and handed her bill to Luke.  
  
"Hey," Lorelai started. "I'm sorry about my Mom. She's," she paused to think of a good word, "deranged. You know that," Lorelai tried to joke her way around the topic.  
  
"Don't worry about it," Luke said with the wave of his hand. "It's no big deal." He tried to act as if the comments about Jason hadn't stung, but deep down they hurt more than he'd like to admit.  
  
Lorelai took Luke's usual wordlessness as a sign that maybe everything was okay. After all they were friends again. Luke the friend wouldn't get mad about Jason. Luke the boyfriend would. It was hard for Lorelai to separate the two in her head.  
  
"Great. So I have to go I'll see ya later," Lorelai said as she turned to leave.  
  
"Hey Lorelai," Luke called. She turned to face him. 'Just tell her,' he thought. 'Tell her you need to talk. Tell her you love and you always have,' he willed himself. But, as usual, no words came. She just stood there waiting for him to speak. "It's fine, I'll see ya later."  
  
"Yeah, later," Lorelai said as she raised her eyebrows and left the diner.  
  
Lorelai and Emily arrived back at the inn and still they were not speaking. Lorelai got out of the car, but, much to her surprise, Emily followed.  
  
"Why are you following me?" Lorelai demanded.  
  
"I'm sorry if I upset you at Luke's Lorelai," Emily said. "I just think you're not admitting your feelings for Luke," Emily said following Lorelai into the Dragonfly.  
  
Lorelai's mouth dropped open. "And what business is it of yours?" Lorelai demanded.  
  
"I want you to be happy," Emily said as she stood across the desk from Lorelai.  
  
"And what makes you think--," the phone ringing cut her off.  
  
"Dragonfly Inn, this is Lorelai. How can I help you?" she said into the receiver. Lorelai listened to the caller as Emily waited impatiently for her daughter to hang up. "I see. Actually she's right here," Lorelai said flustered. Emily suddenly began to worry as Lorelai hung up the phone.  
  
"C'mon," Lorelai said taking Emily by the hand and leading her back to the car. "We have to go."  
  
"Where on earth are we going Lorelai?" Emily demanded as Lorelai dragged her out the door.  
  
"We're going to the hospital," Lorelai said dazed. "That was Dad's work. He collapsed and they rushed him to Hartford Memorial. Give me your keys, I'll drive," Lorelai said holding out her hand.  
  
"Is he okay?" Emily asked confused. "What happened? Why didn't they call me?" Emily and Lorelai got into the car.  
  
"They couldn't find you so they called me. Let's go," Lorelai said as her mother shut the passenger door and they set off to Hartford. 

TBC 


	11. Bad News

Author's Note: Thanks again so much for the reviews. I still don't own the characters, locations, etc.  
  
Lorelai and Emily managed to get to Hartford Memorial in record time. They rushed into the entrance and to the front desk where they found out that Richard was on the fourth floor. They rode the elevator in stunned silence until they emerged on the fourth floor.  
  
"Excuse me I'm looking for my husband Richard Gilmore. They told me he was on this floor," Emily said robotically.  
  
The nurse consulted clipboard that was hanging from a rack.  
  
"I need to see him," Emily said.  
  
The nurse was still scanning the paper, running her pen down the lines of information.  
  
"Excuse me," Emily said loudly slamming her fist on the desk. "I'm not sure if you heard me, but I need to see my husband Richard Gilmore."  
  
Lorelai quickly put a hand on Emily's shoulder to calm her down.  
  
"I'm sorry," Lorelai interjected. "My mother and I are a little upset. You see we just got a call that my father collapsed at work and we're a little worried. Can you tell us where we can find him?"  
  
"I understand, it can be a scary experience," the nurse replied. "I'll have the doctor come out and speak with you if you'd like to have a seat in those chairs," the nurse said pointing to a bay of chairs in the waiting area.  
  
"Well, if you could just tell us where my Dad is maybe we could go see him and then we wouldn't be nervous?" Lorelai suggested.  
  
"I'm sorry," the nurse said, "you'll have to speak to the doctor." That reply wasn't reassuring and it certainly wasn't what Lorelai or Emily wanted to hear. They obediently wandered over to the waiting area and sat.  
  
"I can't believe this," Emily whispered. "I just can't believe this."  
  
"I know Mom," Lorelai said putting a supportive arm around her mother. Lorelai, like Emily, felt dazed and unsure. They sat there for a moment in silence when they were approached by a doctor.  
  
"Mrs. Gilmore?" the doctor asked.  
  
Emily and Lorelai looked up. "Yes, I'm Mrs. Gilmore," Emily said.  
  
"I'm Dr. Grayson," the doctor said. "I'm the head of cardiology and I was here when they brought your husband in."  
  
"Is he okay? When can I see him?" Emily asked, the tears starting to gather in her eyes.  
  
"I'm afraid that won't be for a while Mrs. Gilmore. Your husband collapsed at work and when he was brought in we did some tests. The results, unfortunately, were not what we'd hoped. We had to take Mr. Gilmore into surgery immediately. He was having chest pains and we determined that he needed to have immediate by-pass surgery." The doctor paused allowing this bit of information to sink in.  
  
Emily, unable to hold it together any longer, started to weep quietly. Lorelai, although shocked, had to keep it together for her mother.  
  
"So, is my Dad going to be okay? How long is the surgery? Is it risky? Please, tell us what's going on," Lorelai asked slightly frantic.  
  
"I understand your concerns. The positive side of this is that he didn't have a heart attack. The downside if of course, that he is currently having a double by-pass. Things are progressing nicely and I see no reason that he shouldn't come out of the surgery all right. I'll keep you posted on his condition," Dr. Grayson said.  
  
"Thank you," Lorelai replied, still holding Emily as she wept. "Please let us know the minute you hear something, or when we can see him," Lorelai said. Dr. Grayson nodded his head and walked away leaving Emily hunched over in Lorelai's lap.  
  
"He'll be okay Mom," Lorelai tried to reassure her. "You heard Dr. Grayson. He said he thinks everything should be fine." Lorelai was trying to convince her mother, as well as herself of this fact.  
  
Emily wiped her eyes and looked up at Lorelai. "A double by-pass Lorelai. Do you have any idea of how serious that is? This is all my fault," Emily said wearily.  
  
"Mom, how is this your fault?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"I wasn't around. I left. I wasn't there to tell your father to eat right or that he should exercise more," Emily said.  
  
"Mom, Dad has had heart trouble before. This could've happened even if you'd been there," Lorelai reasoned.  
  
"No," Emily replied. "It might not have. We could have avoided this. I'm sure the stress of the separation didn't help. If anything happens to Richard I'll never forgive myself," Emily stated plainly.  
  
At that moment a co-worker of Richard's approached Emily to speak with her about what happened. Lorelai used this opportunity to excuse herself. She needed to call Sookie and Michel. She realized that she dashed out of the Dragonfly without telling anyone where she'd gone. She wondered if she should get in touch with Rory. She was all the way in California with Christopher, but Lorelai thought she'd want to know what was happening. Lorelai half wondered if she wanted Rory there so she wouldn't feel so alone. Lorelai walked to a pay phone to call Sookie. This was definitely one of those days that Lorelai wished she had someone in her life to help hold her together. Instead she felt utterly alone.  
  
Luke was wiping down the counter after the lunch rush. He glanced at the table the Emily and Lorelai had occupied only an hour ago. He thought about what he had overheard. Emily was telling Lorelai about Jason. Jason wanted to see her. 'Jason probably wanted to do a lot more than talk,' Luke thought. How could he blame him? Lorelai was a vivacious, funny, beautiful, single woman. Only an idiot would turn that down. 'Only I would be that stupid,' Luke thought to himself.  
  
Luke realized he was rubbing the counter particularly hard, a nervous habit of his. He couldn't believe Jason might be back in the picture. Jason the jerk in the expensive foreign car who tried to run him off the road. Jason the egotist who thought he could swoop in and drop a lawsuit and Lorelai would take him back. Jason the man who would probably take Lorelai from him. In that moment Luke knew he had to tell Lorelai that he wanted to be with her. All the issues he had with his marriage were over. He hadn't wanted to rock the boat now that they were finally acting normal around each other again. But the thought of Jason trying to win Lorelai back, the thought of her taking him back, was too much for Luke to stomach.  
  
"Caesar, Lane," Luke yelled. "Watch the diner. I'll be back later," Luke yelled as he grabbed his keys and set off for the Dragonfly.  
  
Luke jumped out of his truck and ran into the Dragonfly. He wasn't about to let Jason beat him to the punch. He saw Sookie standing at the front desk, which he thought was odd, but he approached her.  
  
"Sookie, where's Lorelai?" he asked her.  
  
"Luke, hey. Lorelai isn't here. She got a call and her Dad collapsed at work. Lorelai drove Emily to Hartford Memorial and he's in surgery right now," Sookie said glumly.  
  
"Oh my god," Luke said. "That's horrible. Is he gonna be okay?'  
  
"Lorelai said she didn't know. They said the doctors have a positive outlook right now but he's still in surgery and they won't know for a while."  
  
"Does Rory know?" Luke asked.  
  
"Lorelai wasn't sure if she should call her. You know she's with Chris in California, but she's supposed to be home tomorrow. Lorelai doesn't want to worry her when she really can't get home any sooner anyway."  
  
"Right," Luke said contemplating this news. "Is Emily okay? Is Lorelai alright? I know the last time something like this happened they were both pretty freaked out," Luke said remembering his last trip with Lorelai to see Richard in the hospital.  
  
"Oh, that's right," Sookie said. "You were with Lorelai last time her Dad was in the hospital."  
  
"Yeah, unfortunately this sounds a lot worse," Luke replied, still thinking. "Did you say they were at Hartford Memorial?"  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"Nothing," Luke replied. "I'll see you later Sookie. Thanks for the news."  
  
Luke turned around and left the inn. Sookie had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't headed back to the diner.  
  
TBC 


	12. Long day

Author's Note: I still don't own the characters, location, etc. And in case you haven't noticed this part of the story is now purely fiction, as there are no more spoilers left for this season.  
  
Another hour had past and there was still no word from the Dr. Grayson. Emily paced the waiting area frantically as Lorelai just sat there. She didn't even have the will to flip through the assorted magazines from 1994 that lay on the table next to her. Lorelai couldn't believe this was happening again. The first time her father was in the hospital it had scared her. She never really thought of her parents as human and vulnerable until she saw it. Lately, it had seemed all she could see was how vulnerable and human they really were. It had terrified Lorelai then and it still scared her now. She remembered a comment her Dad had made after Trix passed away. "You only have one set of parents Lorelai," he had said. Lorelai wasn't a praying person, but she was silently chanting a mantra of good health for her father over and over in her head.  
  
Even though Emily was only 10 feet away from her, Lorelai had never felt so alone. Her father was in surgery, her mother was a wreak and Rory was thousands of miles away oblivious to all this commotion. Lorelai sat alone with her thoughts thinking how isolated she felt.  
  
"Lorelai," a familiar voice called emerging from the elevator.  
  
"Luke?" Lorelai said slightly confused, but instinctively standing and rushing over to him. She immediately threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. A feeling of warmth washed over her as their bodies met. Lorelai had been terrified and scared and holding it together for her mother, but the sight and touch of Luke made her less terrified. Once again, as if on cue, her eyes started to well up.  
  
"Luke, how did you know I was here?" she asked, still clinging to him.  
  
"Sookie," he answered gently pulling away from her to look at her face. He gently brushed a strand of hair out of her face.  
  
"You didn't have to come all the way here. I know you hate hospitals," Lorelai said starting to cry.  
  
"There is no where I'd rather be right now," Luke said pulling her close to hug her again. "Can I do anything? Do you need me to pick up Rory or get you coffee or anything? You name it and it's done," he said powerfully.  
  
"No, I'm okay," Lorelai said still hugging him. "You're here and that's more than enough." She pulled away from him and started walking back to the waiting area. "I haven't told Rory about my Dad. You know she's with Chris and I don't want to call her and ruin her last day of vacation. She's coming home tomorrow and I figure I can tell her then. Am I a horrible mother?" she asked Luke as they sat.  
  
"No," Luke replied placing his hand on her leg for support. "You shouldn't worry her. There isn't anything she can do anyway," he reassured her. Luke caught sight of Emily pacing.  
  
"Emily, I'm very sorry about Richard, but I'm sure everything will be fine," Luke said to her.  
  
"Thank you Luke. I appreciate that," Emily said quietly, still pacing.  
  
"She's barely holding it together Luke," Lorelai informed him quietly. "She thinks it's her fault that this happened because she left my Dad. She's done nothing but pace back and forth for the last hour."  
  
"When was the last time you heard from the doctor?" Luke asked.  
  
"About an hour ago," Lorelai responded playing with her fingernails. "He said my Dad was doing well and that he should be out of surgery by 5 p.m., but 5 has come and gone and they still haven't said anything."  
  
Luke nodded. He was unsure of what to say. He just wanted to hold Lorelai and make all the pain and sadness she was feeling disappear. But he knew that he couldn't. He knew that no amount of reassurance in the world could help her until her father was safely out of surgery. All he could do was take her hand and gently squeeze it to let her know that he was there for her. Lorelai smiled feebly at Luke and squeezed his hand back. They weren't technically together and they weren't technically friends but Luke made Lorelai feel so safe and reassured. She almost started to believe that everything would be alright.  
  
"I think I'm gonna go see if I can track down a doctor," Lorelai finally said. "Would you mind staying here with my Mom?"  
  
"Of course not," Luke replied letting go of her hand. "You should go find out if they know anything more."  
  
"Okay," Lorelai said standing up. "Mom, I'm gonna go see if I can track down Dr. Grayson. Do you need anything?"  
  
"No, I'm fine Lorelai," Emily responded.  
  
"Okay, I'll be right back." Lorelai walked down the hallway to track down someone who could tell her about her father's condition.  
  
Emily grew tired of pacing and walked over to the chairs. She said down in the chair next to Luke. It was angled in an L shape so her profile faced Luke. Luke, never a man of many words, didn't know what to say. He knew what she was going through must be horrible. He had lost both his parents, his mother at a fairly early age, and he knew that no matter what anyone said things might not be fine.  
  
"It was nice of you to come Luke," Emily broke the silence.  
  
"Well, I figured Lorelai might need someone," Luke replied. "And maybe you could use someone too," he added.  
  
"You always seem to know what my daughter wants and what she needs," Emily replied.  
  
Luke was taken aback. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to Emily's comment. He wasn't sure if it was a compliment or an accusation. So instead of saying anything he just nodded.  
  
"You're both damn fools," Emily said after a moment.  
  
"What?" Luke asked incredulously. He knew that people dealt with stress in different ways but Emily's way sure was peculiar.  
  
"You and Lorelai," Emily answered. "You're damn fools. You obviously care for each other, but you won't admit it."  
  
"Uh, I don't see what that has to," he was cut off.  
  
"It has everything to do with this situation Luke," Emily said coldly. "Do you know that I think you know more about my daughter than she knows about herself?"  
  
"Just because I know what Lorelai likes to eat doesn't mean that I know her all that well," Luke said thinking about how Emily made a big deal about how he knew what Lorelai ate for lunch.  
  
"Please," Emily dismissed him. "You know what she likes to eat, you know what needs to be fixed around her house, you knew she needed you here today and you came. I heard her say you hate hospitals and yet you're sitting here. Why?" Emily demanded.  
  
"Because she needs a friend," Luke explained feebly.  
  
"Lorelai has plenty of friends," Emily said. "I don't know what happened between you two, but don't you think it's time to get over it?" Emily was starting get upset. "Don't you see what a waste it is to be apart? Life is too short for such nonsense. I only wish I had realized it sooner. I only wish Richard had realized it sooner," Emily said starting to cry.  
  
What was it about Luke and the Gilmore women? They always seemed to feel completely at ease crying in front of him. He never felt comfortable when women were crying, but he did is best to be comforting. Luke reached his hand across the chair and held it, just as he had held Lorelai's. He gave Emily's hand a gentle squeeze to let her know that it was going to be okay.  
  
Emily looked at Luke apologetically. "I'm sorry, Luke," she said between sobs. "This isn't your problem. It doesn't have anything to do with you and Lorelai."  
  
"It's okay" Luke replied. "But for what it's worth I care about your daughter very much."  
  
Emily had started to compose herself again when Lorelai came back with Dr. Grayson. She noticed that Luke was holding her mother's hand. She only hoped that he was as comforting to her as he had been for Lorelai herself. Emily dropped Luke's hand and stood up when she saw the doctor.  
  
"What's going on?" Emily asked her voice full of trepidation.  
  
"Richard is out of surgery," Dr. Grayson replied. "He is in recovery now and after he's regained consciousness he'll be moved to ICU. The procedure went fairly well. We were able to remove the blockages, but he does have quite a road to recovery. He's going to have to overhaul his life I'm afraid. He needs to change his diet, his exercise regiment and, above all, he needs to cut out stress."  
  
"When can I see him?" Emily asked.  
  
"Not for another four hours at least," Dr. Grayson said. "You might wish to go home and come back."  
  
"No, I'll wait here," Emily replied determined. She turned and sat back down. Lorelai, Luke and Dr. Grayson exchanged looks, but Lorelai knew full well that her mother wasn't going anywhere. Frankly, she understood how she felt. Lorelai didn't want to go anywhere either. It was going to be a long night.  
  
Dr. Grayson left to check on patients and left Luke and Lorelai standing. Luke placed his hands on Lorelai's shoulders and gave them a squeeze. "He's going to be alright," Luke reiterated.  
  
Lorelai let her head drop to one side and then to the other. She didn't know how stress could make you so tired but she felt exhausted. "I know," she said placing her hands over Luke's. "Is my Mom okay? You two looked kind of intense when I walked up."  
  
Luke stole a glance over his shoulder at Emily. "She'll be fine. I think she just needed to hear that your Dad is gonna be okay. Look, I'm gonna leave you two alone for minute. Do you need coffee or food? When was the last time you ate?" Luke asked concerned.  
  
"I could go for some coffee. I'm not really hungry though," Lorelai replied.  
  
"Okay," Luke said. "I'll be back in a little bit." With that he walked down the hall to the elevator as Lorelai took a seat next to her mother.  
  
"See," Lorelai said, "Dad's gonna be okay."  
  
"Yes," Emily replied stoically. "Thank God for that."  
  
"Mom, this isn't your fault," Lorelai continued. "Dad has too much stress and he doesn't exercise or eat right, but he will now and he'll be okay."  
  
"I should have called him back Lorelai," Emily said. "He called me three, sometimes four times a day all week. Could he have known?" Emily asked Lorelai, her eyes questioning. "Could he have known his heart was bothering him? What if he was trying to reach out to me and I ignored him Lorelai?" Emily was frantic again.  
  
"But, Mom, he's fine now," Lorelai tried to reiterate to her mother. "He's in recovery and then he'll wake up and you can talk to him. He can tell you what he was trying to tell you and you can tell him what you need to say. It's not too late."  
  
"No, it's not, luckily," Emily conceded calming down. "It's not too late for you either Lorelai," Emily added.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Lorelai asked confused. Lorelai hadn't been on the best terms with her father, but it wasn't as if they weren't speaking.  
  
"I'm talking about Luke. He loves you and I think you love him too," Emily stated simply.  
  
"Mom, Luke and I are," Emily took the liberty of cutting her off just as she had with Luke.  
  
"You and Luke are perfect for each other. For Pete's sake Lorelai the man knows your every move before you do."  
  
"So that makes it kismet?" Lorelai asked mockingly.  
  
"No, Lorelai, the fact that Luke would come all the way to Hartford when he hates hospitals to make sure you're okay makes it kismet. Your father wouldn't even cancel a meeting to go with me to my friend's funeral."  
  
Lorelai thought it about it for a moment and for once Emily was unequivocally right. She knew how she felt about Luke. She had wanted to tell him weeks ago, but he had wanted everything to go back to normal. Normal meaning they were just friends. She didn't want to upset the apple cart so she didn't tell him how she felt.  
  
"I know you and I haven't always seen eye to eye. I know years ago when I asked you about Luke I thought you were crazy for even having such a strong friendship with him, let alone anything more, but I was wrong. Since I've spent more time in Stars Hollow I can see exactly why you'd become so attached to him," Emily explained. "If tonight has taught me anything, it's that you always think there's plenty of time. I ignored your father and he's lying in a hospital bed right now. I just pray that there will be enough time for me to talk to him again."  
  
Lorelai sat there stunned. How did her mother suddenly become the Dali Llama? She was right though. Lorelai knew she was right. She hoped that her Mom and Dad would get the chance to say what they were thinking. But Lorelai knew one thing before the night was over she was going to tell Luke what she was thinking too.  
  
Luke returned a half hour later with a coffee for Lorelai, muffins, bagels and tea for Emily. He knew how much Lorelai hated hospital food and he had set out to find a diner with food that was acceptable to Lorelai's refined palate.  
  
Lorelai and Emily, although not hungry, were grateful for Luke's generosity. It had been hours since they arrived at the hospital. Richard was still in the recovery room, but the doctors kept insisting he would soon be conscious and moved to his own room. Emily had insisted on a private room considering her mother-in-laws name was on a wing of the hospital.  
  
Finally, hours after they had arrived Dr. Grayson had come to tell them that Richard was in his own room. He had warned then that he would be extremely groggy. What he hadn't prepared them for was how haggard he would look. The rule was one visitor at a time and of course Lorelai let Emily go first. Lorelai waited in the hallway, but she couldn't resist peaking through the small window in the door.  
  
Emily pushed back the curtain and walked closer to Richard's bed.  
  
"Richard?" Emily asked as she quietly approached the bed. Richard's eyes fluttered open and he cleared his throat.  
  
"Emily? Is that you?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, Richard," Emily said softly. "I'm right here."  
  
"Am I dead?" he asked half-joking.  
  
"No," Emily said as she brushed the hair back on his forehead. "Although you nearly scared me to death today."  
  
"So you're really here then?"  
  
"Of course Richard," Emily replied. "I thought we agreed after your last episode that you weren't going to scare me like this again."  
  
"I know. I'm sorry Emily," Richard said.  
  
"It's okay," Emily said, her hand lingering on his forehead. Richard slowly picked his hand up and placed it on top of Emily's and pulled her hand down to his heart.  
  
"No Emily," Richard said. "It is not okay. Do you know why I think this happened? Because you're my heart Emily. I can't do it without you. Without you I'm not a whole person. I was a fool. I was too wrapped up in my work and I forgot that you are the most important thing in my life," Richard finished, exhausted.  
  
Emily tried to fight back the tears in her eyes. "Richard, it's okay. It's okay," Emily said gently patting his chest. "I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere."  
  
Lorelai watched her mother rest her head softly on her father's shoulder and just sit with him. She hoped that her father had got to say everything he wanted. She also hoped that her mother said what she needed to say. Maybe things would be okay between her parents after all.  
  
TBC 


	13. The letter

Author's Note: I still don't own Gilmore Girls. Thanks for all the reviews. I love them! Here is the penultimate chapter of The Long Road Home.  
  
Lorelai visited her father briefly after her mother had said everything she needed to say. The doctors, Lorelai and Luke had finally convinced Emily to go home and rest. Emily grudgingly agreed, but reassured everyone she would return the minute visiting hours began the next day. Lorelai had to smile as she saw Emily snap into action making sure Richard had proper sheets, water, cable TV, etc.  
  
Since Lorelai had driven her mother's car to Hartford Luke offered to give her a ride home. Lorelai desperately wanted to talk to Luke on the long ride back to Stars Hollows, but she fell asleep 10 minutes into the drive home. Luke watched her slowly drift off to the land of unconscious and just drove silently home. Every now and then he stole a glimpse of her. He had never seen Lorelai so quiet and he had to laugh to himself. It appeared the only time Lorelai would ever be that peaceful and quiet was in her sleep.  
  
Luke pulled into driveway and got out of the truck. He had thought that the sound of the car door closing would be enough to wake Lorelai, but then he remembered her tendency to sleep through the kitten purring and he walked around to her side of the car. He opened the door and she barely opened her eyes. She only mumbled something about being home. Luke decided her day had been long enough and he quickly placed his arms around her and picked her up. Luke walked up to the porch and placed Lorelai on the bench while he fished out her house keys. He unlocked the door and scooped Lorelai up in his arms again. In her sleep she instinctively placed her arms around Luke's neck and placed her head on his shoulder. Luke kicked the front door shut and walked up the steps to place Lorelai in her bed.  
  
Once he made it to her room he gently placed Lorelai on her bed. She woke slightly and grabbed Luke's hand.  
  
"Don't go," she mumbled sleepily holding his hand.  
  
"It's okay," Luke whispered pushing the hair off her forehead. "You're home in your bed now."  
  
Luke went to pull his hand away but Lorelai squeezed it harder and pulled him closer.  
  
"Please stay with me Luke," she said again. "Just until I fall asleep. I don't want to be alone."  
  
Luke couldn't tell for sure, but he thought she was already asleep. But, never one to turn down Lorelai's requests he went to sit in the chair across the room, but still Lorelai wouldn't let go of his hand.  
  
"Stay here," Lorelai said pulling his hand closer to her. She was clearly indicating that she wanted him to stay in the bed with her.  
  
It was late, Lorelai was half-asleep and Luke knew it would just be easier to kick off his shoes and lay down with her until she fell asleep, so he did just that. Luke crawled over Lorelai and lay next to her in bed. Lorelai, still somewhat asleep, rolled over and placed her hand on Luke's chest and snuggled her head into the crook of his neck. Her body was so close to his. He could feel her heart beat. He could feel her breath on his cheek.  
  
"Thank you for coming to the hospital," Lorelai said sleepily. "You're a good man Luke." She buried her head a little closer to Luke. Luke lay there and soon enough he heard her breath become more rhythmic and it was clear that she was asleep. Luke could smell her skin and her hair and he tightened his grip around her waist just slightly. If the events of the night hadn't been so horrible Luke would have thought it was one of the best nights of life. He yawned and realized how late it was. He knew he should go, but he couldn't will himself out of the bed. Instead he ended up falling asleep with Lorelai at his side.  
  
At 4:30 a.m. Luke began to stir. He opened his eyes and, while they adjusted to the light, he scanned the room. Very quickly he realized that he was not in his apartment, but in Lorelai's house. In Lorelai's bed. He looked down and saw her, still sleeping, cuddled next to him. One arm draped over his stomach, the other pressed against his side. Their legs intertwined under the sheet. He tried to remember how they fell asleep. He got the distinct impression that neither of them moved all night. It didn't matter though. All Luke knew was that he had slept better than he had in weeks, months even.  
  
Luke looked at the clock and he knew he should leave. He had to get to the diner. Caesar and Lane could probably handle opening by themselves but he had left them alone the day before and he knew he should do it himself. He moved slowly placing Lorelai's arms down on the bed. She stirred slightly, but remained asleep. Luke knew she needed her sleep after the day she had yesterday. He knew Richard would have to make some drastic lifestyle changes, but it appeared that he would be alright. Luke was grateful for that. Lorelai deserved some tranquility for a change. She had been pushing herself so hard with the opening of the Dragonfly and she had been worried about her parent's separation. Luke hoped that Lorelai would be able to relax for a while.  
  
He sat down in the chair across the room. The one he intended to sleep in the night before. He laced up his boots and watched Lorelai sleep. Though it was still dark the full moon shown through the window and there was plenty of light for Luke to see. He took in the way Lorelai's hair glistened in the moonlight. 'Man, she's beautiful,' he thought to himself. After Emily's little "damn fools" lecture Luke thought he could tell Lorelai how he felt about her, but she had fallen asleep. Why did it always seem to be awful timing for them? Maybe they weren't meant to be after all. He thought about the dozens of times he almost told her how he felt. Then he thought back to that painful day that he told her exactly what he'd always wanted too. But he knew then that the timing still wasn't right. And now? Now, what was he waiting for exactly? He couldn't even remember. He knew that they were friends and things were back to normal. But suddenly Luke realized he was sick of normal. He needed Lorelai and he needed her know it.  
  
Luke was never one for words. It had taken him four years to tell her how he felt about her. He knew he couldn't sit around for another four. Suddenly Luke grabbed the notebook and pen that was sitting on top of Lorelai's dresser. If he couldn't tell her verbally, then maybe he would tell her in a letter.  
  
At 7:30 a.m. Lorelai began to wake. She felt so warm and secure wrapped in her blanket. She was suddenly very aware of the fact that she had slept extremely well. She slept better than she had in months. She moved her arms to where she remembered Luke being, but there was no one there. Her eyes were still closed as she stretched her arms out to find Luke, but he wasn't there. She lay there for a moment confused. She could have sworn he was there last night. Had it been a dream? If it was a dream she had to remember to thank the Sandman because she had never slept better. Finally Lorelai forced her eyes open and she saw that it was indeed only her in a mess of tangled blankets. She was wearing the same clothes she had on yesterday. She surmised that she Luke must have dropped her off and left. But she couldn't get over the feeling that she had been next to him all night.  
  
She knew she needed to get up and go to the hospital. Even though the doctors said that Richard would be okay she wanted to make sure he was feeling better today. She also had to go pick up Rory from the airport that afternoon. She knew Rory would want to go back to the hospital and see her grandfather. Lorelai had to put all thoughts of Luke out of her head because it was going to be another long day.  
  
She rolled over to one said and stretched and that's when she saw it. There, on the pillow next to her, was a single sheet of loose leaf paper folded over with her name on it. She immediately recognized the writing as Luke's draftsman-like penmanship. She reached over and picked up the letter. She opened it and read:  
  
Lorelai,  
  
I'm not good with words so I thought I'd try a letter instead. It's about 4:30 a.m. and I'm watching you sleep right now. It's not as creepy as it sounds, really. Anyway I know this might not be the best time, but it just never seems to be the right time with us. Your mother said some things to me yesterday that I can't ignore. She said we were fools and I'm inclined to agree with her. I know I told you I wasn't ready for us to be together and at the time I wasn't. But the truth is I've been lying to you, and myself, for weeks. I was afraid to say anything because we've been able to go back to how things were. I told you that's what I wanted, but it's not what I want. The fact is I am over my marriage. It's not an issue.  
  
I don't know if this is even an option anymore but I'd love nothing more than to start over with you. I was going to tell you yesterday. Your Mom dropped some not too subtle hints about Jason and I realized I needed to tell you this now before it was too late. I don't want to be too stubborn or scared to tell you how I feel. I love you Lorelai. I love you as a friend, a mother, a businesswoman, a daughter, but most of all I love you for you. No one else gets to me the way you do and no one else ever will.  
  
So there it is. You know now. I'm glad your Dad is out of the woods and I hope I haven't completely scared you off. I know how you get with too much emotion. We're alike in that respect. I hope I'll see you soon.  
  
Love, Luke  
  
'I love you Lorelai.' She must have read that line a dozen times before she fully comprehended what Luke was telling her. She couldn't believe after all this time he had finally said it, well written it anyway. It had been so long that Lorelai thought Luke had stopped feeling that way about her all together. He was there for her last night. He was always there for her, but all night she couldn't help but wonder what he was feeling. Now she knew. Unfortunately, it would have to wait.  
  
Luke's head shot up every time the bell above the door rang. He knew he shouldn't expect to see her in the diner this morning. Her father was still in ICU for Pete's sake. He knew she had to go pick up Rory and go to the hospital. He could only hope that his letter didn't scare her. Lorelai was the type that would run away when she was confronted with something she didn't like or she wasn't ready to deal with. He didn't know where she stood with him. He thought he had a pretty good indication after last night, but she was asleep when she asked him to stay and who knew what she was really thinking?  
  
Luke spent the morning cleaning, something he did when he was anxious. The grease pits had never looked so clean. He saw Sookie and asked her if she had heard from Lorelai. Sookie said she was in Hartford. Rory had gotten in from California and they went straight to the hospital. Sookie mentioned that Richard was doing better and was probably going to be moved from ICU that night. Luke was happy to hear it. Now all he had to do was wait to see Lorelai again. He didn't know how long that was going to be, but he knew one thing for sure. The diner would never look cleaner.  
  
TBC 


	14. In this life

Author's Note: I still don't own Gilmore Girls. Well here it is--the final chapter. Enjoy!  
  
Lorelai approached the door to Luke's. It was 11:30 p.m. She knew he was closed, but the lights were on and she hoped he was still inside cleaning up. It had been a long day. She got Rory from the airport and told her about what had happened. She was understandably shaken, but she felt better after seeing Richard. He had been moved from ICU and they thought he might go home sometime next week. They wanted to keep an eye on him just to be sure everything was fine. Lorelai didn't know if this was because they actually wanted to keep an eye on him or if it was because Emily had forced them to keep their eye on him. Either way Richard was in good hands. Emily had snapped back into her usual mode of command. She looked tired but much less scared. It seemed that her father and mother had worked things out to a reasonable degree. They had gotten to tell each other what they each wanted to say and Lorelai was glad of that. Now there was only one thing left to do. Talk to Luke about his letter. She put her hand on the doorknob and walked into the diner.  
  
The bell above the door jingled and Luke yelled from the kitchen, "We're closed."  
  
"Then you should lock the door," Lorelai replied and flipped the deadbolt herself.  
  
Luke rushed out from the kitchen, toaster in hand, and just stared at her for a moment. "Lorelai, how are you? How's your Dad? How's Rory?"  
  
"Whoa," Lorelai replied, "too many questions at once," she smiled. "My Dad is good. They moved him from ICU before I left. Rory is okay. She felt better after seeing my Dad and she decided to stay in Hartford with my Mom tonight. I think it will help them both."  
  
Luke put the toaster down on the counter and walked over toward Lorelai. "And how are you?"  
  
"I'm fine, surprisingly," Lorelai sighed. "It's been a crazy two days."  
  
They both stood for a moment, each unsure of what to say. Luke felt like he had poured his heart out to her and now he had to wait for her response. Lorelai distinctly heard the radio playing light rock in the background. Luke didn't strike her as a mellow, light rock kind of guy, but she didn't say anything.  
  
"So, I know you're closed, but can I get some of that coffee?" Lorelai said walking past Luke and perching herself on a stool.  
  
"Uh, sure," Luke said confused. 'Did she get my letter?' he wondered. He hoped that it hadn't gotten lost in the sheets. He pulled out a mug and filled it up passing it to Lorelai.  
  
"So, I have a problem," Lorelai started.  
  
"Okay," Luke replied leaning back on the counter and folding his arms over his chest. He was still confused by what was going on.  
  
"So there's this guy," Lorelai began with a smile.  
  
"Really? Sounds interesting," Luke said finally understanding and playing along with piqued curiosity.  
  
"Oh, it is. See he's this rugged sort of guy. He's not big with words. He's very attractive. I've know him for a really long time." Lorelai took a sip of her coffee and continued. "Not that long ago I got to see a really different side of him and I think about him a lot."  
  
"Interesting. What kind of different side did you see?" Luke prodded.  
  
"Well he took me out to this wedding and he danced with me. Really well I might add. But then things sort of got put on hold. But see this morning I woke up and he left me this really beautiful letter," Lorelai looked Luke straight in the eye.  
  
"What did it say?" Luke asked quietly leaning forward on his arms on the counter. Lorelai moved the coffee mug out of the way and leaned in on her arms as well. Their faces were only inches apart.  
  
"Well, it's kind of personal," Lorelai teased him.  
  
"I think I can handle it," Luke smiled.  
  
"Well, okay. He said that he loved me."  
  
"Pretty daring guy putting himself out there like that," Luke responded. "So, what did you say?"  
  
"Well I haven't told him anything yet," Lorelai said. They were so close that both were almost afraid to breath.  
  
"You really shouldn't keep a guy waiting like that," Luke said staring at her lips.  
  
"I know," Lorelai said. With that she moved in and placed her lips on Luke's gently. Luke responded immediately and placed his hands on her face deepening the kiss. When they finally pulled back they both looked at each almost sheepishly.  
  
"So, I think you might want to tell this guy you're not interested," Luke said.  
  
"What do mean?" Lorelai asked suddenly very nervous. Luke walked around to the other side of the counter and stood next to Lorelai.  
  
"Well I mean if that's how you're gonna kiss him he's gonna know you don't really love him back," Luke was provoking her.  
  
"Meaning?" Lorelai asked irritated.  
  
"Meaning that I think if you loved the guy you might kiss him a little better," Luke said with a gleam in his eye.  
  
"Really? How about this?" Lorelai stood up and leaned in taking Luke's chin in her hand and pulling his face nearer to hers. She once again placed her lips on his and wrapped both her arms around his neck. Luke's arms gravitated toward her waist and they continued to kiss. Lorelai opened her mouth slightly and Luke did the same. Their tongues found each other and danced in a rhythmic pattern that made the heat from their bodies being pressed together ignite. Luke broke the contact first, but only to move his kisses along Lorelai's jaw line and then down her neck. She giggled softly as his stubble tickled her neck. He moved back up and kissed her lightly several times quickly on the mouth. They stood there holding each other, gazing into each other's eyes.  
  
"I'd say that was better," Luke joked lightly and smiled.  
  
"So, if I kissed this guy like that do you think he'd know I love him?"  
  
"Oh yeah, I think he'd have a pretty good idea," Luke said pulling her into a hug. Just then the song on the radio changed.  
  
"Luke, will you dance with me?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"No," he said starting to push her away from him. Lorelai wasn't about to give up that easily. She refused to let go of his arms.  
  
"C'mon, I know you can dance! If you loved me you'd dance with me," Lorelai made him feel guilty.  
  
"Oh really? Is that how it's gonna be from now on?" Luke asked.  
  
"Pretty much," Lorelai grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist.  
  
"Fine, but just because I'm doing this now doesn't mean that I always will," Luke said.  
  
"Got it," Lorelai said with a mock salute as she wrapped her arms around his neck again. The song on the radio played.  
  
_Let me show you what I'm made of  
  
Good intentions are not enough  
  
To get me through today and this life  
  
You're in the basement watching the t.v.  
  
I'm on the second floor watching the ceiling  
  
We'll sleep underneath the same big sky at night  
  
And dream the same dream we can fly  
_  
They swayed around the tables of the diner. Luke couldn't believe he was doing this. But who was he kidding? If Lorelai asked him to dress up in a tutu and strut around the diner he probably would just to see her laugh and smile. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her and he finally got the feeling she felt the same way.  
  
_You can run from me  
  
You can hide from me  
  
But I am right beside you  
  
In this life  
_  
"You know what?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"What?" Luke asked pulling his head back to look her in the eyes.  
  
"I'm really happy right now," she replied.  
  
Luke smiled down at her and kissed her forehead. "I'm glad. I have to say I'm pretty high on the happiness meter right now too."  
  
_Let me tell you who you really are  
  
You're my comfort  
  
You're not a superstar  
  
I can reach up and bring you back down  
  
To the ground  
  
And give you everything you dream about  
_  
"I know it took us a while, but I think this is finally right," Lorelai said resting her head on his shoulder. "This is finally the right time, the right place," then she pulled her head back and looked at him, "the right person," she said resting her head back on his shoulder. The song continued as they held each other and danced slowly around the diner.  
  
_You can run from me  
  
You can hide from me  
  
But I am right beside you  
  
In this life  
_  
"You told me once that I'd get the whole package, everything I was looking for. Did you know then that it was you?" Lorelai asked Luke.  
  
"I only hoped it would be me," Luke replied.  
  
_I'll give you all the things that I never get  
  
Give you all I have and have no regrets  
  
Take you to the places that I've never been  
  
Forgive you of the things that you can't forget  
  
Take away the pain with my healing hand  
  
Wash away your sins and set your spirit free_  
  
"I'm so glad it's you," Lorelai said quietly. "I love you Luke."  
  
Luke's heart soared as he actually heard the words escape her lips. She had indirectly told him how she felt, but to actually hear her verbalize it made it real. Luke stopped dancing and kissed Lorelai. He kissed her like she had only dreamt she could be kissed. She knew that it probably wasn't any different from any other kiss she had experienced. The only difference was that this kiss was coming from Luke. Like a puzzle piece that only fits into a certain space, Luke was the missing piece that completed the puzzle that was Lorelai Gilmore.  
  
Luke took his hands and gently brushed them up Lorelai's sides and she erupted in a fit of laughter. Luke never knew Lorelai was ticklish and he took the opportunity to grab on to her and tickle her until she couldn't breath. She ran from his grasp like a first grader running from her elementary school crush. They laughed and they were simply together and it was easy, just the way it had always been with them.  
  
_You can run from me  
  
You can hide from me  
  
But I am right beside you  
  
In this life  
  
You can run from me  
  
You can hide from me  
  
I am right beside you  
_  
_In this life  
  
Let me show you what I'm made of  
_  
A figure outside the diner looked in through the blinds and saw Luke and Lorelai acting like giddy teenagers. It was late, but it didn't seem to matter as they were oblivious to anyone outside except each other. Luke finally caught Lorelai again and they stood in the middle of the diner kissing. The person outside pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number.  
  
"Babette, you're not gonna believe what I'm looking at right now," said Miss Patty with a sly smile as she walked back to her house.  
  
A/N: So, that's it. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. In case anyone is wondering the song, which I also don't own, is called In This Life by Chantal Kreviazuk. 


End file.
